Secretary Perdue statement on US-Japan Trade Agreement

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019,  issued the following statement regarding the signing of the new United States-Japan Trade Agreement.  “This agreement between the United States and Japan is a better deal for the entire U.S. economy but is a particularly big win for our farmers and ranchers. When I visited Japan in May for the G20, I made it clear that the U.S. is Japan’s best customer and we felt that relationship was not reciprocal. This agreement helps level the playing field. I thank President Trump and Ambassador Lighthizer for delivering on their promise to open markets around the world for America’s farmers and ranchers.”  The U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement will provide America’s farmers and ranchers enhanced market access in our third largest agricultural export market. When implemented, this Agreement will enable American producers to compete more effectively with countries that currently have preferential tariffs in the Japanese market. The deal President Trump is delivering will provide our farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses with market access for high-quality U.S. food and agricultural products to 127 million Japanese consumers.  In the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement, Japan has committed to providing substantial market access to American food and agricultural products by eliminating tariffs, enacting meaningful tariff reductions, or allowing a specific quantity of imports at a low duty (generally zero). Importantly, the tariff treatment for the products covered in this agreement will match the tariffs that Japan provides preferentially to countries in the CP-TPP agreement.