Japanese Foreign Minister asks Rubio to exclude Japan from US tariffs

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Iwaya asked that Japan be excluded from 25 percent tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum. He also asked that Japan not be subject to measures known as "reciprocal tariffs." That means the United States would pose the same levies on goods imported from other countries if they place higher tariffs on US goods.

Iwaya also raised the issue of tariffs on Japanese automobiles exported to the US. Iwaya and Rubio reaffirmed that the two countries will communicate closely to deepen bilateral economic relations.