The United States' unilateral and sweeping tariff policies are creating significant instability in the global economy as they undermine global free trade principles by prioritizing national interests over international cooperation, said a Japanese scholar on Tuesday.
Japan and the United States previously reached a trade agreement after multiple rounds of negotiations. The U.S. started to impose 15 percent tariffs, down from the originally planned 25 percent, on Japanese cars and other goods, taking effect from Aug 7.
Shiratori Hiroshi, a political science professor at Hosei University, said in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) that despite the U.S. reduction of the new tariff rate, it will still have a negative impact on Japan's auto industry.
"The upcoming 15 percent tariff remains significantly higher than previous tariffs. Under these circumstances, the tariff increase will have a significant impact on Japan's primary export, automobiles. Higher tariffs will undoubtedly lead to price increases, creating a near-import ban, a difficult situation Japan must overcome," he said.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previously stated that the U.S. will evaluate Japan's implementation on a quarterly basis, and stated that if Trump is not satisfied, the U.S. will restore the 25 percent tariff on automobiles and other products imported into the U.S.
Hiroshi said that the U.S. government's almost threatening remarks are unacceptable from both the perspective of international economics and the principle of international rule of law.
"This statement is almost threatening, and it clearly reveals the Trump administration's attitude toward the 'rule of law in the international community'. Common sense suggests that, based on global economic standards, a country's sudden imposition of high tariffs globally should be unacceptable, both for the sake of international economic stability and the rule of law. Yet, the United States is currently doing just that," he said.
Hiroshi said that the U.S. has forcibly imposed tariffs for its own interests, and such unilateral measure disregards the interests of other countries and runs counter to the concept of free trade.
"The 'America First' mindset of 'as long as our own country is well-off' runs completely counter to the free trade philosophy of the common development of the world advocated by China, Japan, Europe, and other countries around the world. Trump has clearly demonstrated a tendency toward unilateralism in previous trade negotiations. This approach of focusing only on one's own national interests while ignoring other countries is extremely problematic in today's era of economic globalization and high degree of free trade," he said.
US unilateral tariff policy undermines global free trade, economic stability: Japanese scholar
