Press Conference by Minister Muto (Excerpt)

*Note: This is a provisional translation for reference purposes only.

9:02 to 9:08 a.m.
Friday, March 21, 2025
Press Conference Room, METI Main Building

Opening Remarks

Release of “Business Matching Service for Growth Acceleration”

As you all know, METI has been providing “Mirasapo Connect,” a database that stores various data related to SMEs, including data on subsidy applications. As the first service taking advantage of the database, on March 24, we will release the Business Matching Service for Growth Acceleration, which is abbreviated to “Seka-Match,” in which the term “Seka” is an acronym for “growth acceleration.”
This service provides business matching opportunities between SMEs and support organizations including regional financial institutions after the respective parties have registered for the service. We hope that this service will efficiently match SMEs with support organizations, thereby contributing to encouraging growth-oriented SMEs to take on new challenges and solve issues involving business management. The administrative staff will provide further details later.

Question-and-Answer Session

Actions to address the U.S. measures for additional tariffs

Q: I would like to ask you again about the reciprocal tariffs that the U.S. Trump administration intends to impose.
This time, the U.S. claims that Japan imposes high tariff rates on certain goods, such as rice and beef. President Trump stated his intention to execute tariffs of around 25% on automobiles as well from April. However, how the U.S. intends to impose reciprocal tariffs this time is still unclear. Concerning future prospects, some expect that, for example, the U.S. may impose reciprocal tariffs on automobiles and other industrial products from Japan at rates equivalent to those that Japan imposes on rice from the U.S. Could you offer your view on these risks, which also involve goods under the jurisdiction of other ministries and agencies, and on future actions to address them, including the need for collaboration with other ministries and agencies, such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, if any?

A: Regarding the reciprocal tariffs you pointed out, during my recent visit to the U.S. I conveyed to the related U.S. ministers that Japan should not be included in the scope of the measures.
Although I cannot state the details of the U.S. measures as it would be premature, I believe that we should appropriately address this matter, including talks with the U.S., in collaboration with related ministries and agencies, of course.

Talks with the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) about U.S. tariff measures imposed on automobiles

Q: I would like to ask you a question related to the tariff issue that was raised in the previous question. At a press conference held by the JAMA the day before yesterday, Chairman Katayama stated that if Japan cannot avoid the additional tariffs on automobiles imposed by the U.S., it may lead to production adjustments. During this conference, he showed his recognition that the public and private sectors may need to provide support to suppliers, and he also mentioned that he had held talks on this matter with METI. Could you offer your view on the need for actions to address this?

A: I am aware of Chairman Katayama’s statement. I have heard that at JAMA’s meeting of the board of directors on March 19, representatives of the relevant departments exchanged views on a wide range of recent issues surrounding the automobile industry, including the U.S. tariff measures and efforts for achieving carbon neutrality. I will refrain from stating the details of the exchange, but I believe that we need to carefully examine the specific impact of the tariffs on the Japanese automobile industry, while taking into account the details of the measures. First of all, we should continue to request that the U.S. remove Japan from the scope of the measures through advancing talks with the U.S., as I mentioned earlier.