- The United States will impose 25% blanket tariffs on imports from Japan and South Korea starting August 1, President Donald Trump revealed.
- Trump shared screenshots of letters apparently sent to Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, specifying the new tariff rates.
- Both letters state that the 25% tariffs are separate from additional sector-specific duties on key product categories.
The United States will impose 25% blanket tariffs on imports from Japan and South Korea starting August 1, President Donald Trump revealed Monday.
Trump, in a pair of Truth Social posts , shared screenshots of letters apparently sent to Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung dictating the new tariff rates.
The two form letters appear to be the first of what Trump said could be as many as 15 letters sent between Monday and Wednesday, the day his so-called reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries are scheduled to snap back to the higher levels he announced in early April.
Under those initial rates, goods from Japan were assigned a 24% tariff and South Korean imports to the United States were scheduled for a 25% tariff.
Following a chaotic week of losses across global markets, however, Trump issued a 90-day pause on April 9, which lowered the various tariff rates to a flat 10%.
With Monday's letters, Trump is effectively re-imposing his initial "liberation day" tariff rates on two major U.S. trade partners.
U.S. financial markets fell to session lows on news of the letters. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 447 points, or 1%. The S&P 500 lost 0.8%, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.9%.
Both letters state that the 25% tariffs are separate from additional sector-specific duties on key product categories.
The letters also note, "Goods transshipped to evade a higher Tariff will be subject to that higher Tariff." Transshipping in this case appears to refer to the practice of transferring goods to an intermediate country prior to their final shipment to the U.S., in order to circumvent tariffs.
The form letters state that the new tariff rates are necessary to correct persistent U.S. trade deficits with the two countries.
Trump, an open supporter of tariffs and a skeptic of free trade agreements, often cites these deficits as evidence that the U.S. is being taken advantage of by its trading partners. Experts have criticized the notion that trade deficits are inherently bad and have questioned whether the U.S. can or should aim to close them.
The U.S. had a $68.5 billion goods deficit with Japan and a $66 billion goods deficit with South Korea in 2024, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
Letters from Monday preemptively warn Japan and South Korea not to respond to the new U.S. tariffs by imposing retaliatory duties on their own imports of American goods.
"If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25% that we charge," the letters say.
They both add that if Japan and South Korea "eliminate" their "Tariff, and Non Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers," then the U.S. "will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter."
"These tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country," they say. "You will never be disappointed with The United States of America."
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