US raps Japan over rice tariff

FILE: Close-Up Photo Of Assorted Rice. (Pexels Photo)

By Jiji Press, Philippine News Agency

WASHINGTON – The United States on Tuesday criticized Japan over its tariff on rice imports.

“Look at Japan, tariffing rice, 700 percent,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a press briefing Tuesday.

“President Donald Trump believes in reciprocity,” she said, suggesting that Japanese rice may be subject to the so-called reciprocal tariffs that the administration plans to impose next month.

“All he’s asking for at the end of the day are fair and balanced trade practices,” Leavitt said of Trump.

In February, Trump ordered officials to devise plans for reciprocal tariffs, aiming to match the level of tariffs imposed by trading partners.