Japan to impose restrictive duties on US beef imports

The Japanese government intends to impose restrictive duties on imports of beef from the United States due to the fact that it may soon exceed the mutually agreed quota. Such a measure is expected to be taken shortly, national public television reported on Tuesday. According to the bilateral agreement, the United States has the right to supply up to 242 thousand tons of beef to the market of its Far Eastern ally during the fiscal year (ending in Japan on March 31). However, already in February this volume amounted to 233 thousand tons and will soon clearly exceed the limit. To protect its producers, Tokyo immediately after that intends to raise the duty on imports of American beef from the current 25.8% to 38.5%. Then the parties must hold consultations within 10 days to resolve this conflict. Protective duties will be introduced for the first time since 2017. Disputes over the import of American meat have repeatedly aggravated bilateral economic relations. The Japanese ...