United States President Donald Trump announced on Monday the imposition of a 25% tariff on Imports of Japan and South Korea. The measure will take effect from August 1 and was communicated through letters sent to leaders of both Asian countries. The messages were published by Trump on his social network, Truth Social.
According to Trump, this is the first in a series of communications to be sent until Wednesday (9), a deadline for negotiations before the resumption of high tariffs established in April. The president also stated that if countries decide to increase their own retaliation tariffs, the United States will apply the new rate in an accumulative manner. The 25% rate for South Korea had already been announced in April, while Japan’s was raised at a percentage point in relation to the initial proposal.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said several countries have made last -minute offers to avoid new rates. He stated that he intends to make several commercial ads in the next 48 hours. According to Bessent, only two agreements have been signed so far: with the United Kingdom and Vietnam. It is not yet known which countries should receive additional letters or whether these communications will be publicly publicized.
In addition to Japan and South Korea, another twelve countries should receive similar notifications, according to the White House. Trump should also sign a decree formally postponing the rate of rates from July 9 to August 1, giving more time for commercial negotiations. In the midst of this scenario, the European Union seeks a quick deal with the US, but there has been no significant advances yet. The European Block faces internal pressure to protect vulnerable sectors such as the automotive and pharmacist.
Trump also threatened to impose additional tariffs on the BRICS group if member countries adopt actions considered “anti-American”. According to him, a new 10% rate can be applied individually, depending on the posture of each nation. US bags reacted negatively to the announcement: the Dow Jones index fell 447 points, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite retreated 0.8% and 0.9% respectively.
