Key points
- Japanese make a fortune with us economically: Trump
- Japan’s trade minister will reportedly demand an exemption from imminent US tariffs on steel
- 25pc steel and aluminum tariffs will be imposed on Wednesday without exceptions: Trump
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said Japan is not required to protect the United States militarily and makes “a fortune” from it economically.
It came as Japan’s trade minister is arranging a trip to Washington during which he will reportedly demand an exemption from imminent US tariffs on steel and aluminum, according to AFP.
“We have a great relationship with Japan. But we have an interesting deal with Japan that we have to protect them, but they don’t have to protect us,” Trump said Thursday.
“And by the way, they make a fortune with us economically,” he claimed. “I actually ask, who makes these deals?”
In response, Japan’s government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi said Friday that Tokyo trusts Washington to keep its obligation to the two nations’ security treaty, according to local media reports.
US military personnel in Japan
About 54,000 US military personnel are stationed in Japan, mostly in the Okinawa region east of Taiwan, AFP reported.
Meanwhile, Tokyo’s economy, trade and industry minister Yoji Muto expressed hoped his US trip would “be a win-win for both Japanese and US national interests.”
Trump has said 25 per cent steel and aluminum tariffs will be imposed on Wednesday of next week, without exceptions.
“It is important to closely study the specific content of these (tariff) measures and their impact,” according to Muto.
He also poured cold water on Trump’s announcement that Japan was among the nations looking to invest trillions of dollars in a “gigantic” natural gas pipeline in Alaska.
“This is an issue that the government and the private sector need to study, in terms of profitability and when supply will begin,” Muto said.
“I hope to hear more details on this project” from US officials, he said.
Muto and Japan’s foreign minister will hold economic security talks with their British counterparts in Tokyo Friday, touted as a chance to promote free trade and boost business ties, AFP reported.
