Tariff Crossfire Hits Auto Suppliers in Japan

FOUR DECADES AGO, Hiroko Suzuki's father threaded the needle of a U.S. trade war by pushing the family auto-parts business into newer niche products.

- REUTERS

Now, tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are so sweeping they threaten her own attempt to diversify the 78-year-old company into medical devices.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has called the U.S. tariffs, including 25% on automobiles, a "national crisis" for the world's fourth-largest economy. Japan's top trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, headed to Washington on Friday for a third round of talks.