By Leika Kihara
TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan will continue to push strongly for the United States to exempt the country from auto tariffs, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Tuesday.
In a news conference, Ishiba also said the government will take measures, as needed, to cushion the blow to the economy and jobs from higher U.S. tariffs such as offering funding support to cash-strapped firms.
“The government will negotiate with the ruling coalition at an early date specific measures we can take to respond” in case Japan is slapped with higher levies, Ishiba said.
U.S. President Donald Trump last week unveiled a plan to impose a 25% tariff on automobile imports, a move that is likely to deal a severe blow to Japan’s export-reliant economy. He has also said he would announce on Wednesday reciprocal tariffs targeting every country.
(Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Christian Schmollinger)
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