> there has been alarm in Japan, one of the United States’ staunchest allies in Asia, which also sees the U.S. as its most important export market, accounting for around 20% of all Japanese exports….
> Ishiba has come under pressure from Japan’s opposition parties for his cautious handling of tariff negotiations with the U.S. This partly reflects Japan’s electoral cycle. Two important elections loom in July: first the Tokyo assembly poll and then that for the upper house of Japan’s parliament. Ishiba and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are flagging in the opinion polls and so may struggle to perform well in these….
> Moreover, the U.S. is a major supplier of food, raw materials and mineral fuels to Japan. Indeed, these items account for some 30% of Japan’s overall import bill from the U.S.
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Key quote:
> there has been alarm in Japan, one of the United States’ staunchest allies in Asia, which also sees the U.S. as its most important export market, accounting for around 20% of all Japanese exports….
> Ishiba has come under pressure from Japan’s opposition parties for his cautious handling of tariff negotiations with the U.S. This partly reflects Japan’s electoral cycle. Two important elections loom in July: first the Tokyo assembly poll and then that for the upper house of Japan’s parliament. Ishiba and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are flagging in the opinion polls and so may struggle to perform well in these….
> Moreover, the U.S. is a major supplier of food, raw materials and mineral fuels to Japan. Indeed, these items account for some 30% of Japan’s overall import bill from the U.S.