Japan urges immediate U.S. tariff cuts as $500B trade deal stalls

Akimasa Akazawa, the Minister of State for Economic Revitalization and Japan’s top trade negotiator, revealed that tariff cuts on auto and spare parts imports could “take some time”. He urged President Trump to effect the revised tariffs immediately through an executive order instead of drafting agreements that could eventually become “vague.” Akazawa said Japan and the U.S. had agreed to reduce the tariffs on auto imports from 25% to 15%. He praised Trump’s deal-making skills, saying they were the kind that demanded answers. The Economic Revitalization Minister said he dared not remain silent through the negotiations, otherwise that would be...