Japan’s trade minister says he requested US tariff exemption

TOKYO, Japan – Japanese Trade Minister Yoji Muto said on Tuesday that he requested Japan be exempt from U.S. tariffs during discussions with officials in Washington.

Japan did not get any assurance from his U.S. counterparts that Japan would be exempted from U.S. tariffs due to come into force on Wednesday, Muto said.

Japan will continue talks on economic cooperation with its ally and has assured U.S. counterparts that Japan would contribute to the country’s economic development, he added.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly; Writing by Kantaro KomiyaEditing by Chang-Ran Kim)