Japan asked the United States on Wednesday to be exempt from President Donald Trump鈥檚 tariffs on steel and aluminium exports, Tokyo鈥檚 top government spokesman said.
Trump has signed executive orders to impose 25 per cent tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium starting March 12, triggering angry reactions internationally including from Canada, Mexico and the European Union.
鈥榃e are aware of the presidential order about additional tariffs on steel and aluminium were issued... we have requested to the US government to exclude our country from the measures,鈥� Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.
The request was made through the Japanese embassy in the United States early Wednesday, he said.
鈥楯apan will carefully study the content of the measures and their impact on our country and take necessary policy,鈥� he added.
Trump imposed similar tariffs during his first term to protect US producers faced with what he called unfair competition.
But his predecessor Joe Biden exempted Japan, allowing it to export up to 1.25 million tons of steel per year to the United States without paying duties.
That exemption, known as tariff quota, 鈥榳ill be revoked鈥�, a trade ministry official told AFP.
Under Trump鈥檚 latest policy, tariff on steel will remain at 25 per cent, while tariff on aluminium will be raised to 25 per cent from the current 10 per cent, he said.