Washington, July 9: U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced that 25% tariffs will be imposed on imports from Japan and South Korea beginning August 1, as the July 9 reciprocal tariff pause nears expiration. The move marks the latest step in Trump’s renewed push to rebalance trade relationships and pressure partners into new bilateral deals.
In letters posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump warned that any retaliatory tariff hike by either country would be matched by a corresponding increase from the U.S., in addition to the 25% levy. The tariff rate for South Korea remains consistent with Trump’s April 2 announcement, while Japan’s rate has been raised by one percentage point.
Under Trump’s trade framework, all reciprocal tariffs had been capped at 10% until July 9 to allow room for negotiations. So far, only the United Kingdom and Vietnam have reached agreements with the U.S. to avoid steeper tariffs.
“We’re going to be very busy over the next 72 hours,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNN. “President Trump is sending letters to our trading partners saying that if you don’t move things along, then on August 1, you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level.”
Bessent said the administration is preparing to send about 100 such letters to smaller trading partners, many of whom are already subject to the baseline 10% tariff. While declining to identify major nations still in talks, Bessent noted that several agreements are close to being finalized. “No major trading partner will be slapped with tariffs as high as 70%. There’s a lot of foot-dragging, but expect several big announcements soon,” he said.
Meanwhile, uncertainty continues over the conclusion of a long-awaited interim trade agreement between the U.S. and India. While negotiations have reached the final stage, Indian officials have indicated that last-minute challenges have delayed an announcement. However, a possible extension of the negotiation window until August 1 may offer additional time to seal the deal.
“The President said last week that the U.S. and India are very close to a trade deal, and that remains true,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “President Trump has a good relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and we expect to hear more from the President and his trade team very soon.”
India remains a strategic partner for the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific region. The Trump administration is seeking to use reciprocal tariffs to compel trading partners to lower their barriers and engage in direct, bilateral trade negotiations that reduce the U.S. trade deficit.
The latest tariff actions are part of Trump’s broader economic strategy to press for fairer trade terms, especially from countries with which the U.S. runs significant deficits.
