U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the removal of reciprocal tariffs on certain agricultural imports, a move aimed at easing grocery price burdens ahead of Thanksgiving.
The Trump administration released an executive order last Friday detailing the exemptions, which include coffee and tea, tropical fruits and juices, cocoa and spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, beef, and certain fertilizers.
According to a fact sheet, these changes are intended to address rising food costs, which have climbed nearly 30 percent above pre-pandemic levels. While overall inflation hovers around three percent, specific grocery items have surged, coffee is up nearly 19 percent over the past year, and bananas nearly 7 percent.
U.S. grocery prices have risen to nearly 30 percent higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
While overall inflation in the U.S. is at about 3 percent, prices of some groceries have soared, with coffee up nearly 19 percent and bananas up nearly 7 percent over the last year.
Trump said he is not walking away from his approach to trade and but admited that his tariffs are leading to higher prices.
Trump and other Republicans are facing pressure after recent elections saw Democrats like New York City's mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani win after running on the issue of affordability.
Polling suggests two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump's tariff policies, and more than six in 10 disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy.
These numbers have added to the challenges the Republicans must contend with in next year's congressional midterm elections.
US cuts tariffs on food items amid rising inflation, soaring grocery prices
International relations experts from Japan and some other countries warned against the rise of right-wing militarism tendencies in the Japanese government reflected in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent Taiwan-related remarks.
Critics say such blatant disregard of history and basic principles of international relations could have very dangerous impacts, damaging mutual trust Asian countries have worked hard to build and threating peace and stability in the region.
"Sanae Takaichi say that a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency. This statement is very dangerous. It breaks basic principles of international law and international relations. It also interferes in China's internal affairs and try to pull Japan into a regional conflict. This work shows that some Japanese politicians are moving forward right-wing ideas and risky military thinking," said Lim Wen Jye, a senior researcher at Malaysia's Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research.
"To my view, Takaichi is simply a puppet for these forces that are being activated - the old military forces, the right-wing forces in Japan," said Stephen Brawer, an international relations expert and chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden.
In Japan, scholars have stressed the importance of stable bilateral relations with China and urged the prime minister to withdraw erroneous remarks.
"From a diplomatic perspective, existing agreements between Japan and China were overturned. When Sino-Japanese relations were normalized, China's approach to Japan was to make a distinction between Japanese militarists and ordinary citizens, and not to seek reparations. However, the Japanese government must bear its due responsibility for the past," said political economist Kazuhide Uekusa.
Scholars warn against right-wing politics reflected in Japanese PM's remarks
