Driven by a surge in domestic prices, Japan has been importing historically high volumes of US rice over the past year or so. According to US Census Bureau trade data, the country purchased $298 million worth of the cereal grain in 2024 and, in the first four months of this year, bought $114 million worth. Yet despite these figures, US President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Japan was refusing to take American rice.
Trump Says Japan ‘Won’t Take Our Rice’
“To show people how spoiled Countries have become with respect to the United States of America, and I have great respect for Japan, they won’t take our RICE, and yet have a massive rice shortage,” he wrote on Truth Social. “In other words, we’ll just be sending them a letter, and we love having them as a Trading Partner for many years to come.”
The letter he referenced in the post is a notice he intends to send trading partners on July 9. That is the day his 90-day pause on tariffs expires. Asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One on Tuesday about whether he would extend the negotiating period, Trump replied, “No, I’m not thinking about the pause. I’ll be writing letters to a lot of countries.”
Trump Threatens Japan With Additional Tariffs
A letter to Japan, he said, would read something like, “Thank you very much…we know you can’t do the kind of things that we need, and therefore you pay a 30%, a 35% or whatever the number is that we determine.” Trump described the East Asian nation as “very tough” and “very spoiled,” adding “I’m not sure we’re going to make a deal. I doubt it… On trade, they’ve been very unfair, and those days are gone.”
Earlier this year, Trump announced sweeping tariffs around the world, including a 24% levy on imports from Japan, in addition to 27.5% tariffs on all vehicles, up from 2.5%. Led by Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa, Japan was among the first nations to begin tariff negotiations with the US. Last Thursday, Akazawa headed to the States for his seventh round of ministerial-level talks. He told reporters at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport that the auto tax was “unacceptable.”
Negotiations Remain Deadlocked
The Trump administration, however, insists that the 25% additional duty on vehicles is not up for discussion. “They won’t take our cars, and yet we take millions and millions of their cars into the United States. It’s not fair,” said the US president in an interview on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo. Talks between the two nations remain deadlocked with just a week to go before the July 9 deadline.
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Updated On July 2, 2025
