Japan says it won't sacrifice farm sector for tariff deal after Trump rice complaints

Japan will not sacrifice the agricultural sector as part of its tariff talks with the United States, its top negotiator said on Tuesday, after President Donald J. Trump complained that the key Asian ally was not buying American rice.

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Mr. Trump's comment, made in a social media post on Monday, comes as Tokyo scrambles to convince the US to scrap a 25% tariff on Japanese cars and a 24% reciprocal tariff on other Japanese imports.

The reciprocal tariff has been paused until July 9, but Japan has yet to secure a trade deal after nearly three months of negotiations.

While the auto sector is Japan's top employer and exporter, the farm sector has traditionally been an important voting bloc for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party, which faces key upper house elections on July 20.

"I have repeatedly stated that agriculture is the foundation of the nation," top trade negotiator and Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa told a press conference.