Japan says it regrets new US tariffs tied to forced-labour rules

Japan's government said Friday that it regrets new United States tariffs after Tokyo was included on a list of trading partners facing levies ranging from 10 to 12.5 percent.

Chief government spokesman Minoru Kihara said Japan's industry and trade follow international rules. He said Japan regrets that the latest measure imposes tariffs on Japan solely because it has no ban on imports of products made through forced labour.

Kihara said Japan and the United States share the understanding that last year's agreement is universal and that both sides remain committed to carrying it out. He said Japan had also confirmed with the United States that Washington would not impose additional tariffs on Japan beyond the terms of that agreement. He said Japan would continue to work closely with the US side.

Washington announced new tariffs on 60 trading partners over forced labour concerns, replacing an expiring global duty introduced by President Donald Trump earlier this year. The US Supreme Court struck down a range of his duties in February, and Trump used different authorities to reimpose a 10-percent tariff on imports. Those tariffs expire after 150 days on Friday.

Japan agreed to invest $550 billion in the United States by 2029 in return for threatened tariffs of 25 percent being cut to 15 percent. The source said those promises remained valid after the Supreme Court decision.

Under Thursday's announcement, economies that have introduced a forced-labour import ban or committed to doing so face the lower 10-percent tariff. They include Canada, the European Union, India and the United Kingdom. China, Japan, South Korea and dozens of others were placed under the higher 12.5-percent tariff.