Japanese Business and Politics in the Shadow of Trump's Tariffs

May 20, 2025: Japanese Business and Politics in the Shadow of Trump’s Tariffs

As America flip-flops on trade policies, security deals and its own domestic policies, the world of Japanese business and politics is being whiplashed as the country’s most crucial ally turns inward.

How are Japan’s firms responding by adjusting their export strategies and global production networks? What are the flashpoints between the U.S. and Japan, and what can Tokyo do to accommodate President Trump’s demands? What do the current tensions mean for the U.S.-Japan security alliance and Japanese public opinion of America? And what does the uncertainty mean for the Japanese economy and the Bank of Japan’s path for policy normalization?

Gearoid Reidy, a columnist with Bloomberg Opinion in Tokyo, discussed these and other topics to update us on the current state of Japanese business, broadly defined.

This Japan Zoominar @ UC San Diego is organized by the Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS). For more information on activities, as well as recordings of previous Japan Zoominars, please visit https://jfit.ucsd.edu.