【詳細しょうさい】相互そうご関税かんぜい 15じゅうご％に引ひき下さげ 9きゅう分野ぶんや中心ちゅうしんに米こめに投資とうし

The Japanese government announced the details of the agreement reached in the Japan-U.S. negotiations over U.S. tariff measures on July 25.

First, a review of the U.S. tariff measures.

The reciprocal tariff will be reduced to 15%. The timing of implementation is undecided. ▽ The reciprocal tariff, which was scheduled to be set at 25% on the 1st of next month, will be reduced to 15%.

According to government officials, the timing for the implementation of reciprocal tariffs has not been decided in this agreement.

However, as a matter of course, I understand that the tax rate agreed upon this time will be applied starting August 1.

In the future, it may be necessary for the United States to take measures such as issuing executive orders, and we will continue to communicate with the United States.

Items with a previous tax rate of less than 15% will have their tax rate uniformly set to 15%, while items with a previous tax rate of 15% or higher will retain their existing tax rate.

▽An additional 25% tariff on automobiles will be halved to 12.

It states that the tax rate will be 15% when combined with the 5%.

A 25% additional tariff had also been imposed on automobile parts, but together with the previous rate, it will be reduced to 15%.

According to government officials, the timing for the imposition of tariffs on automobiles and auto parts has not been decided in this agreement.

Government officials have stated, It is necessary for prompt measures to be taken, such as the issuance of an executive order by the United States.

Even if tariffs are imposed on semiconductors or pharmaceuticals in the future, Japan will not be treated less favorably than other countries.

Next, cooperation in the field of economic security.

We will work closely together to build a robust supply chain in the United States that benefits both Japan and the U.S. through investments by Japanese companies, focusing mainly on the nine critical areas important for economic security.

The nine fields are semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, steel, shipbuilding, critical minerals, aviation, energy, automobiles, and AI artificial intelligence and quantum.

To achieve this, Japan will enable government-affiliated financial institutions to provide investments, loans, and loan guarantees totaling up to $550 billion, or about 80 trillion yen.

The ratio of profit distribution between Japan and the United States in the investment is set at 10% for Japan and 90% for the United States, based on the level of contribution and risk borne by each party.

Next, lets talk about the expansion of trade.

Expanding purchases of American agricultural products, etc. — It is stated that the lowering of Japanese tariffs, including those on agricultural products, is not included.

Japan is set to expand its purchases of American agricultural products, including bioethanol, soybeans, corn, and fertilizers, as well as American-made products such as semiconductors and aircraft.

Regarding rice, Japan secures the necessary procurement of rice while taking into consideration the domestic supply and demand situation, within the framework called minimum access, under which approximately 770,000 tons of rice are imported from abroad every year without tariffs as a mandatory measure.

In addition, Japan will also consider the stable and long-term purchase of American energy such as LNG liquefied natural gas, as well as discussions regarding LNG development projects underway in Alaska, USA.

Regarding rice imports, the announcement from the White House in the United States states that Japan will increase imports of American rice by 75%.

Japan imported over 340,000 tons of rice from the United States last year under the minimum access quota.

If imports from the United States were to increase by 75% over the course of a year based on this amount, it would simply add up to approximately 600,000 tons, accounting for about 80% of the quota.

Review of non-tariff measures.

Mainly targeting the automotive sector: Review of non-tariff measures The main focus is on the automotive sector, including allowing the import of passenger cars from American automakers that are deemed safe in Japans traffic environment without requiring additional testing. In addition, it states that an appropriate review will be conducted regarding the operation of subsidies for the purchase of EVs electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles powered by hydrogen.

It is possible to import passenger cars from American automobile manufacturers that are sold within the European Union EU without additional testing.

Japan and the EU originally adopted the same safety standards based on United Nations agreements.

In this agreement, for car models that meet safety standards in the EU but have not been exported from the United States to Japan, they will be considered safe to drive in Japan as well, and their import will be permitted.

Additionally, the maximum subsidies subject to review are up to 600,000 yen for plug-in hybrid vehicles, up to 900,000 yen for EVs, and up to 2,550,000 yen for fuel cell vehicles.

Regarding this subsidy, the U.S. Trade Representative USTR pointed out that the subsidy for fuel cell vehicles, which are mainly produced by Japanese companies, is higher, making the system such that Japanese companies benefit more than foreign companies.

Quarterly Evaluation: Government Official Says Not in a Position to Comment Regarding Treasury Secretary Bessents statement on the 23rd about evaluating Japans implementation status quarterly based on the Japan-U.S. agreement, a Japanese government official said, We are aware of the remarks, but we are not in a position to comment.

The agreement announced by the Japanese government did not include an assessment of the implementation status, and when asked by the press, Are there things that have been agreed upon but not announced by the Japanese government? a government official responded, The Japanese government has no intention of unnecessarily concealing anything.

In addition, regarding the announcement by the White House on the 23rd that Japan will immediately increase imports of American rice by 75% as part of the agreement, the Japanese government has not provided any specific explanation. A government official only commented, We are aware of the announcement, but we would like to refrain from making comments on each point.