Japan To Resist Trump Efforts To Form Trade Bloc Against China

Japan plans to push back against any U.S. attempt to pull it into an economic bloc aimed at countering China, citing the importance of its trade ties with Beijing, current and former Japanese officials told Alastair Gale, Haze Fan, Yoshiaki Nohara, and Sakura Murakami of Japan Times.

Tokyo is also trying to strike a separate deal before a 90-day tariff reprieve expires.

While Japan is seeking permanent relief from President Donald Trump’s tariffs by addressing U.S. concerns over bilateral trade — particularly in autos and agriculture — officials said Tokyo is also trying to strike a separate deal before a 90-day tariff reprieve expires.

They hope to finalize an agreement by the Group of Seven summit in June.

However, Japanese officials emphasized they would resist U.S. moves to pressure China economically, noting that Beijing remains Tokyo’s largest trading partner and a key source of goods and materials. Japan has repeatedly told China it does not fully align with Washington on chip export controls and semiconductor restrictions, one official added.