USTR Urges Japan To Cut High Tariffs On Rice, Dairy Products

The United States will continue to urge Japan to remove "a broad range" of trade barriers, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said Thursday (Friday, April 1, 2022, in Manila), citing "high" tariffs on items including rice and certain dairy products, Mainichi Japan reported.

Photo Insert: Japan is the fourth largest single-country market for U.S. agricultural products.

While noting that a bilateral trade agreement that entered into force in 2020 removed or reduced tariffs on approximately 90 percent of US agricultural exports, the USTR said: "there are several important products for which tariffs remain high and limit US market access."

Fruit juices, pet food, table grapes, frozen blueberries, sugar, chocolate, and sweetened cocoa powder are also among such products, the USTR said in an annual report on foreign trade barriers.

Japan is the fourth largest single-country market for U.S. agricultural products, with US exports valued at approximately $14.3 billion in 2021. The report also said Japan generally provides strong intellectual property protection and enforcement, although "a number of concerns remain," Kyodo News also reported.

Japan last year amended its laws to crack down on the importation of counterfeit items from overseas vendors under the pretense they are for personal use.

The USTR said it will "monitor implementation and enforcement of the amendment to determine whether it provides a comprehensive solution to the increase in the import of counterfeit goods into Japan."

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