عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Japan, US Set Plans for Talks on Resolving Tariffs Dispute

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, right, poses for a photo with her counterpart Koichi Hagiuda prior to their meeting in Tokyo, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, right, poses for a photo with her counterpart Koichi Hagiuda prior to their meeting in Tokyo, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
TT
TT

Japan, US Set Plans for Talks on Resolving Tariffs Dispute

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, right, poses for a photo with her counterpart Koichi Hagiuda prior to their meeting in Tokyo, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, right, poses for a photo with her counterpart Koichi Hagiuda prior to their meeting in Tokyo, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

US Trade Representative Katharine Tai and Japan’s trade and industry minister agreed Wednesday to work to resolve a dispute over American tariffs on steel and aluminum, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.

Tai and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Koichi Hagiuda met Wednesday for talks that followed a visit earlier in the week by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
The two US envoys have been visiting the region in a first obvious push by President Joe Biden's administration to soothe frictions left over from Donald Trump’s days in office. The effort comes as prices for steel have surged as economies shift into high gear after slowing during the pandemic.

It also comes as major economies double down on trying to curb excess output in both industries, The Associated Press said.

METI said in a statement that the two sides had confirmed plans for negotiations on resolving the tariffs issue and addressing global excess production capacity.

The two officials “also discussed the US’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, addressing market-distorting measures," and cooperation on preparing for ministerial level talks of the World Trade Organization, it said. Those talks are due to begin Nov. 30 in Geneva.

Trump imposed extra tariffs of 25% on imports of steel and 10% on imports of aluminum, citing a need to protect American industries. That move angered US allies in Japan, South Korea and Europe.

In meetings with Tai and Raimondo, Japanese officials said they were emphatic about having the tariffs problem resolved.

The US and EU recently resolved their dispute over the punitive tariffs, with the US agreeing to increase imports from the bloc. The deal helped forestall the imposition of retaliatory EU tariffs on billions of dollars worth of imports of American products such as Harley Davidson motorcycles and Kentucky bourbon. Those duties had been due to take effect in December.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

At Least 10 Dead, 32 Injured in a Hotel Fire at a Ski Resort in Northwestern Türkiye

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, in northwest Türkiye, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (IHA via AP)[ASSOCIATED PRESS]
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, in northwest Türkiye, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (IHA via AP)[ASSOCIATED PRESS]
TT
TT

At Least 10 Dead, 32 Injured in a Hotel Fire at a Ski Resort in Northwestern Türkiye

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, in northwest Türkiye, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (IHA via AP)[ASSOCIATED PRESS]
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, in northwest Türkiye, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (IHA via AP)[ASSOCIATED PRESS]

A fire at a hotel at a ski resort in northwestern Türkiye on Tuesday killed at least 10 people and hospitalized 32 others, officials said.
The fire broke out at around 3:30 a.m. in the restaurant of the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, officials and reports said. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Two of the victims died after jumping from the building in a panic, Gov. Abdulaziz Aydin told the state-run Anadolu Agency. Private NTV television said some people tried to climb down from their rooms using sheets and blankets, The Associated Press said.
There were 234 guests staying at the hotel, Aydin said.
Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, said he was asleep when the fire erupted and he rushed out of the building. He told NTV television that he then helped some 20 guests out of the hotel.
He said the hotel was engulfed in smoke, making it difficult for guests to locate the fire escape.
“I cannot reach some of my students. I hope they are OK,” the ski instructor told the station.
Television images showed the roof and top floors of the hotel on fire.
The government appointed six prosecutors to lead an investigation into the fire. NTV television suggested that the wooden cladding on the exterior of the hotel, in a chalet-style design, may have accelerated the spread of the fire.
The 161-room hotel is on the side of a cliff, hampering efforts to combat the flames, the station also reported.
Kartalkaya is a popular ski resort in the Koroglu mountains, some 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of Istanbul. The fire occurred during the school semester break when hotels in the region are packed.
Aydin's office said 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were sent to the site.
Other hotels at the resort were evacuated as a precaution and guests were placed in hotels around Bolu.