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Aso announces emergency tariffs of 50% on imported frozen beef from Aug

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Aso told reporters the government is explaining the move to the United States and other countries.

What's to explain? Foreign beef is more competitive.

Farm minister Yuji Yamamoto told reporters that the effect of the measures on consumers should be "limited" as frozen beef targeted by the measure accounts for 20% of the Japan's total beef imports.

A 50% tariff on 20% of imports is not negligible.

14 ( +15 / -1 )

This is all on Trump and his voters. He trashed TPP which would have lowered beef tariffs over time.....

"...Under TPP, Japan’s tariffs for chilled-frozen beef will be cut from 38.5% to 9% in 16 years. Imports will be will be subject to an annual TPP-wide volume safeguard, but the safeguard is not expected to be trade-restrictive unless there are unexpected surges in imports. Additionally, Japan will eliminate tariffs on processed beef products, including beef jerky and meat extracts, in six to 16 years. These tariffs are currently as high as 50%. Duties on beef variety meat, including tongues and skirts (now 12.8%) will also be phased to zero..."

8 ( +11 / -3 )

This is a stupid move. It will be backfired harder.

12 ( +15 / -3 )

The surge is mainly due to a recovery in U.S. beef production and a drop in price following the end of a drought in the United States, according to a farm ministry official.

That's a new definition of 'emergency' for me!

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Absolutely great, refrozen ,pesticide ridden and forcefully grown cheap US meat is simply unhealthy and the less of it , the better for everyone.

2 ( +11 / -9 )

What a sham! Quick we need JA's voting power, give the farmers more money!

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Double edge tactic. Maybe they are pressuring the US to think about the TPP they scrapped.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

What's the reason behind this tariff increase I wonder? Although this will be a good decision if Aussie and NZ producers can make up the difference with their higher quality beef

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Crisis? What crisis? The US is full of crises at the moment. Tariffs on beef to Japan I am afraid is just not up there.

I suppose the Australians, and New Zealanders with their tariff-exempting free trade agreements with Japan are smiling a lot today.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

The LDP must act, Abe's ratings are falling. The people are getting tired of Abe's stalling on the economy, and wasting valuable time enacting secrecy laws and trying to change the constitution. In order for the LDP to maintain control as their ratings fall, they need to start buying the agricultural vote. The small percentage of people in agriculture get more than three votes per person, and have the power to decide elections. By reaming us who live in the cities by overcharging us for food we need to survive, and giving the money so gained to rural voters, the LDP can remain in office.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Abe is basically the Japanese Robert Mugabe at this point. He refuses to let go of the reigns of power no matter how unpopular he gets, he is invovled in all sorts of corruption scandals, the value of the currency nosedived since he seized power so many years ago, and now he is implementing crazy agricultural policies to ensure the support of his most loyal followers in the countryside. This is all straight out of the Mugabe playbook.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

I propose emergency tariff increases of 50% on all Japanese autos and electronics to the US due to soaring shipments.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

The ambassador has just been appointed, so I guess that will be his first issue.  As long as there was no ambassador, there would be no structure in place for Trump to complain.  But considering it took almost 7 months to appoint him, I wonder in how may months he will actually arrive.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Wonder if Trump will put 50% on all Japanese hmmmm lets say ... Cars. "See how you like them apples Aso" may be the tweet.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

I only buy Aussie or New Zealand beef, so this has no effect on me!

Farmers everywhere are like Major Major's father in Catch 22. Make money for growing nothing and then using that money to buy more land to be paid to grow more of nothing!

Cattle farmers don't really receive any subsidies in the US, but they have a huge market to sell to. I have worked on a cattle farm in Hokkaido when I was younger, they had 5,000 head all housed in pole barns, fed with american corn and grains(high-energy, low fiber feeds), and were not let out to pasture at all, the only grass they ate was hay that has been bailed on the only open land around the farm. Cattle are grass eaters by nature, feeding them corn, and all the other stuff in the feed is not a good thing, and it adds to the price of beef. So grass fed is the best!

When I was a kid and lived and worked on our farm, we used to see how the dairy farmers would sell their old and sick cows to one man, and he would then sell them to a company that supplied McD's. You will not know what has been fed or injected to your beef, what type a cow or steer you are eating, or how healthy it was before slaughter! I worked on one dairy when I was a kid that fed the cows feed with ground up dead chickens in it, you would be surprised at what they feed and inject the animals with. And for those facts alone I will not eat American or Japanese beef! Not all farms are guilty of this, but how do you know which one your beef came from?

Just as long as they don't make Aussie and New Zealand beef to expensive, I am OK!

Cattle farming has become too much of an industrial enterprise, and we all suffer for it!

I apologize for the long winded rant!

11 ( +13 / -2 )

Japan this could be a very Big mistake .

The Countries like Australia could put import duties up on All Japanese cars.

Not Assembled in Australia.

As well also port duties and even on every item Japan exports to Australia .

Then increase all prices on Iron ore Limestone Coal Lithium Minerals of rare earth Copper Nichole Lead Zinc etc

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

hmmm this really shouldn't matter if the US lowers its cost and then even with the tariff should balance out.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Yoshinoya must have misplaced their brown paper bag this month.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Aso and Japan can kiss the Japanese auto industry exports goodbye now, as I'm sure Trump and friends, and this time I would agree with them, will retaliate. If the argument is imported products take up much of the market and harm domestic product sales, the US should increase tariffs on Japanese autos either tit-for-tat, or relative to how sales make up the market. I'm willing to bet it's more than 20%, so maybe a 100% increase on tariffs on all auto imports from Japan? Japan will scream that it's unfair, of course, and that the customer should have the right to choose, etc.... until it's asked to look in the mirror, of course.

All other products imported from Japan that may impact the market should be increased, too. Japan wants to play protectionist, let them face the consequences in the only way that hurts them.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

This is all on Trump and his voters. He trashed TPP which would have lowered beef tariffs over time.....

Sanders trashed it. So did Clinton (after initially supporting it). It's the only issue all of the candidates agreed on.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Japan automakers employ over 1.5 million Americans in American factories that export more cars than are imported from Japan.

America is hardly the beacon of free trade. On the contrary, the US is one of the worst "free trade" countries and has more tariffs than any other nation on the planet. The US has a tariff on Japanese cars and Japan has no tariff on US cars.

There is no surge in US imports of Japanese cars, so there is no reason for added tariffs. The trade agreements allow this tariff increase.

Japan is limited by the US to import the smallest volume of beef of any country. The US is still a net importer of beef. The US has a 26% tariff on beef from Japan.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

This is total B.S.! Just when I could start to afford a steak in Japan this government throws a feaking wrench in the works. Do you want to know why.... because when offered an affordable alternative to Domestic beef... Japanese people bought and continued to buy U.S. and Aussie beef. People don't continue to buy beef is it is lousy.... the came back because it was good. So here we go again... back to the drawing board... American and Aussie Beef suppliers and the Japanese public get screwed.... all to protect the Jiminto Voter Base. This is politics.... Dirty Filthy Politics.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

The beef in the JT photos appear to have a lot of fat  . . . I hope Japanese have access to better quality, leaner, healthy beef.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Kobe White Bar OwnerToday 06:14 pm JSTWonder if Trump will put 50% on all Japanese hmmmm lets say ... Cars. "See how you like them apples Aso" may be the tweet.

He'd better listen to his advisors before tweeting that and making himself look like a bigger fool than he already looks. As far back as 2014, 94% of Hondas, 71% of Toyotas and 76% of Nissans were made in the Unites States, The figures are even higher now.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Do people realize that this tariff is a tax on Japanese consumers? Instead of paying 100 yen for a burger, now they will pay 300 yen. Japan is run by an old neocon elite, economically illiterate cronies who need to get the F out of the government as soon as possible. Japan could've been so much richer with so much higher standards of living if they would just liberalize their economy, but the 族議員 don't like that.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

I propose emergency tariff increases of 50% on all Japanese autos and electronics to the US due to soaring shipments. as Osaan just stated over 70% of all J cars sold in the US are made in the US, so if any such tariff was imposed it would seem only fair that the J gov require at least 70% of all American goods sold in Japan be made in Japan also , instead of China.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Absolute correct !!! As the whole world complains, US meet being careless treated with antibiotics causing batteries resistant to antibiotics. Better known as super bug.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

domtoidi: "There is no surge in US imports of Japanese cars, so there is no reason for added tariffs."

There is perfect reason; to stop Japan from implementing further protectionism. Any threat by the US to increase tariffs on cars would have Japan dropping their "emergency tariffs" (on the US, anyway), in two seconds flat. On the contrary, there is no reason for Japan to increase tariffs, as it limits the choice of consumers and protects only people it needs to subsidise because they cannot be competitive themselves.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Any threat by the US to increase tariffs on cars would have Japan dropping their "emergency tariffs" (on the US, anyway), in two seconds flat.

Meat vs. cars? Seriously? Japan has no tariffs of cars coming in the country. Also, is Japanese beef openly sold in the US? On top of that is US beef a really big business opportunity in Japan?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

This tax is a load of Bull ****

1 ( +2 / -1 )

The Countries like Australia could put import duties up on All Japanese cars. Not Assembled in Australia. As well also port duties and even on every item Japan exports to Australia .

Australian beef is exempt.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

What to do the gov needs money & this is a quick income for them. 20% is too much.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Backstabbing the U.S after promising increased investments in the auto and technology sector of USA doesn't seem quite honest done by Japan. I thought finance minister Aso cherished a win-win situation with the U.S?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

That is just another LDP favoritism, as usual with them, penalize the mass to please some of their supporters who have a high disparity votes to cast.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

First date at Yoshinoya is going to cost more money

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Absolutely great, refrozen ,pesticide ridden and forcefully grown cheap US meat is simply unhealthy and the less of it , the better for everyone.

I'm surprised you've been to every single farm and market across the entire US to know this.

https://agfundernews.com/grass-fed-beef-survey-story.html

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

US beef does have a bad reputation, surprised it is imported in to Japan on health grounds. NZ, Aussi and Canadian meat generally is very good quality. The justification for the tax hike seems spurious though.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

they shouldnt be letting this rubbish into the country at all

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I'm not worried now. The Trump administration is in such disarray that they probably won't notice.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

[Along with Trump,] Sanders trashed [the TPP]. So did Clinton (after initially supporting it). It's the only issue all of the candidates agreed on.

Whoever downvoted this, go ahead and look it up if you don't believe me. I'm not a Trump supporter, but let's not let alternative facts get in the way of real facts.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

50%???? That's chicken feed compared to the amount of taxes levied on imported rice.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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