U.S. President Donald Trump once said ¡°tariff¡± was his favorite word. In Japanese, ¡°tariff¡± translates to évË° (kanzei, import tax), a word you¡¯ve likely heard more often in the news.
Coupled with Â鶹´«Ã½ lingering Ãײ»×ã (kome-busoku, rice shortage), évË° negotiations are now moving toward a broader acceptance of Ý”ÈëÃ× (²â³Ü²Ô²â¨±³¾²¹¾±, imported rice), specifically from the United States.
The Japanese are proud of their ¹ú®bÃ× (kokusanmai, domestically produced rice) and have traditionally been reluctant to import rice, the country¡¯s staple food, from abroad as a way to protect domestic farmers. Still, some Ý”ÈëÃ× is able to get through ¡ª though the U.S. has falsely claimed that ÈÕ±¾¤Ï¥¢¥á¥ê¥«®b¤ÎÃפË700%¤ÎévË°¤ò¤«¤±¤Æ¤¤¤ë (Nihon wa Amerika-san no kome ni nanahyaku p¨¡sento no kanzei o kakete-iru, Japan imposes a 700% tariff on rice produced in the U.S.). The actual situation is much more complicated than that.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.