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Tokyo’s tariff envoy says US talks ‘constructive’

Tokyo’s envoy for US tariff talks in Washington said Thursday that the second round of negotiations between the two countries had been “frank and constructive.”Japan, a key US ally and its biggest investor, is subject to the same 10 percent baseline tariffs imposed on most nations plus steeper levies on cars, steel and aluminum.President Donald Trump also in early April announced “reciprocal” tariffs on Japan of 24 percent, but later put them on pause for 90 days along with those on other countries except China.”We were able to move forward in frank and constructive discussions to reach a mutually beneficial agreement as soon as possible,” Ryosei Akazawa told reporters Thursday.”We were able to advance concrete discussions on, for example, expanding trade between our two countries, non-tariff measures and economic and security co-operation.”Akazawa said he had “strongly proposed” to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other officials that Trump’s sweeping levies on trade partners be reviewed.The next round of ministerial-level talks will “take place intensively from mid-May onwards,” Akazawa said. Thursday’s talks followed an initial meeting in mid-April.Akazawa said any deal on tariff relief would be in the form of a package, which will be announced when finalized.”We have not yet reached the point where we can find areas of agreement,” Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters.”However, I have been informed that the discussion was very positive and constructive.”- ‘Firmly defending’ interests – Trump has repeatedly called for a stronger yen to boost US exports, but foreign currency rates were not discussed Thursday, Akazawa said.The yen has risen significantly since Trump’s tariffs were announced, and was trading at 145 for a dollar, compared with 158 in mid-January.Japanese media had said the second round of talks could focus on automobiles and agricultural products, which Akazawa called “very important economic sectors.””We have no intention of negotiating in a way that would be detrimental to the national interest, so we have been firmly defending what needs to be defended and saying what needs to be said,” he said.Akazawa had told reporters at the airport on Wednesday that “Japanese companies are losing money each and every day” because of US tariffs. He said Thursday that he did not discuss China with the US officials, adding that Japan has a “very strong trade relationship with China too.””We will continue to monitor the developments in US-China relations, including the tariff measures against China, with great interest.”Separately, Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said on a TV Tokyo program on Friday that Japan’s holdings of US Treasuries could be a bargaining chip in the negotiations.”It is natural to discuss everything that is a negotiation card… Whether we use them or not is another matter,” Kato said, according to TV Tokyo.”We don’t keep (the Treasury holdings) to support the US. We will intervene if our country is in trouble.”

Truck driver’s body recovered from huge Japan sinkhole after three months

Trump vs Toyota? Why US cars are a rare sight in Japan

With their sleek curves and chrome grilles, the classic American cars on sale at Yosuke Fukuda’s yard ooze Californian cool but on Japanese roads new US vehicles are a rare sight — much to President Donald Trump’s annoyance.Japan’s Toyota is the second-top-selling automaker in the United States, where it shifted more than 2.3 million vehicles last year.Meanwhile US industry leader General Motors sold just 587 Chevrolets and 449 Cadillacs in Japan, while Ford pulled out of the tough Japanese market nearly a decade ago.And it’s not just an aversion to foreign brands — in 2024 Mercedes-Benz sold more than 53,000 vehicles and BMW sold over 52,000 including Minis.”They don’t take our cars, but we take MILLIONS of theirs!” Trump said in April, accusing Japan of treating its ally “very poorly on trade”.To try and rev up the US auto industry, Trump has imposed a 25 percent levy on imported vehicles, in a major blow to Tokyo.Many people in Japan admire vintage US cars, but when it comes to new wheels, they hold more trust in domestic brands, Fukuda told AFP.West Coast hip-hop booms out at his shop Y-Tech, an incongruous slice of Americana amid the rice paddies north of Tokyo.”To be honest I think the problem is the size of the roads,” as well as an impression that US cars break down more often, which is likely unfounded, Fukuda said.At his garage, the 20 or so classic US models in varying states of restoration include a silver-green 1970 Chevrolet Nova and a 1954 Buick Roadmaster.But Fukuda also drives a modern SUV — a General Motors Yukon, which is two metres (6.5 feet) wide and “sticks out or is packed in” when parked in Tokyo’s narrow streets.Although some US cars are smaller, the brands remain a niche choice because “there are hardly any places that sell them or repair them”, he said.- ‘Bowling ball test’ -Yuka Fujimoto, a 42-year-old modelling agency manager, told AFP she had never considered buying a US car.”American cars don’t sell very well” in Japan, where domestic automakers offer “a wide range of line-ups including for families”, she said.However Trump believes Japan is keeping out American cars with “non-tariff cheating”.This includes “Protective Technical Standards (Japan’s bowling ball test)” he wrote last month on Truth Social.”They take a bowling ball from 20 feet up in the air and they drop it on the hood of the car. And if the hood dents, then the car doesn’t qualify,” Trump reportedly elaborated in 2018.A Japanese transport ministry official in charge of safety standards told AFP that no actual bowling balls are used.Trump “may be mixing it up with a test where a hemispherical human head model is hit on the hood”, the official said.But the car’s bonnet is in fact required to dent to absorb the impact, he explained.Tweaking Japan’s vehicle import procedures is a potential bargaining chip for Tokyo in tariff talks with Washington.The country could offer to widen access to a simplified screening process which currently applies to 5,000 vehicles per model annually, Japanese media reports said.- Fuel efficiency -Trump’s auto tariffs have already brought some changes, with Nissan last month revising plans to reduce US production.Meanwhile Honda is moving production of its hybrid Civic model from Japan to the United States, saying no “single issue” had prompted the decision.But US carmakers still face the problem of tepid demand among Japanese consumers.Hisashi Uchida, a 56-year-old construction firm employee, said his Toyota car “doesn’t have any special features, but it doesn’t break down”.”Many American cars can’t be parked at multi-storey parking lots, and their fuel efficiency isn’t good,” he said.Overall “I don’t think US carmakers are really putting importance on the Japanese market, which is significantly smaller than their home market”, said Masamitsu Misawa, chief editor of Japanese vehicle magazine Car Top.In contrast, German car brands offer a better range and their designs “better match Japanese people’s tastes”, he told AFP.Cars in Japan drive on the left, and unlike US rivals European automakers usually put the steering wheel on the correct side for vehicles sold there, he added.That could be changing. General Motors’ 8th-generation Chevrolet Corvette has right-hand drive in Japan for the first time.”I think that reflects efforts (for selling in Japan) by manufacturers and importers,” Misawa said.

Asian stocks gain after China teases US tariff talks

Asian markets largely rose Friday, tracking Wall Street gains, as China said it was considering a US offer to negotiate steep tariffs.US markets forged higher Thursday following strong results from tech giants Microsoft and Meta that helped offset lingering economic worries.Apple reported first-quarter profit above expectations but warned that US tariffs could cost the company and were disrupting its supply chain.And Amazon reported a nine percent rise in first-quarter revenue, but its outlook fell as potential impact from the US-China trade war rattled investors.Washington’s punishing levies reached 145 percent on many Chinese products in April, while Beijing has responded with fresh 125 percent duties on imports from the United States.On Friday, China’s commerce ministry said it was evaluating a US offer for negotiations on tariffs, but wanted Washington to show “sincerity” and be ready to scrap levies that have roiled global markets and supply chains.US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that China has reached out for talks on the tariffs, and this week said he believed there was a “very good chance we’re going to make a deal”.Dozens of countries face a 90-day deadline expiring in July to strike an agreement with Washington and avoid higher, country-specific rates.Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said Beijing and Washington were now “waving detente flags” in their spiralling trade war.Beijing’s demand for sincerity was an apparent call to ditch the 145 percent rate, before holding serious talks, Innes said in a note Friday.”But dig a layer deeper, and the path is still littered with landmines,” he added.In Asia trading Friday, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was up more than one percent in the morning, while Japan’s main Nikkei index gained about 0.6 percent.Japan’s envoy for US tariff talks said in Washington on Thursday that a second round of negotiations between the two countries had been “frank and constructive”.Japan, a key US ally and its biggest investor, is subject to the same 10 percent baseline tariffs imposed on most nations plus steeper levies on cars, steel and aluminium.The Bank of Japan warned earlier that tariffs were fuelling global economic uncertainty and revised down its growth forecasts while keeping its key interest rate steady.Traders are looking ahead Friday to US jobs data for April for indications of the US central bank’s path for interest rates.- Key figures at around 0220 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.6 percent at 36,677.95Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.2 percent at 22,386.08Shanghai – Composite: closed for holidayEuro/dollar: UP at $1.1297 from $1.1289 on ThursdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3295 from $1.3277Dollar/yen: DOWN at 145.43 yen from 145.44 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 84.98 pence from 85.02 penceWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.9 percent at $59.75 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.8 percent at $62.62 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.2 percent at 40,752.96 (close)London – FTSE 100: FLAT at 8,496.80 (close)burs-sco/rsc

Israël bombarde près du palais du président syrien accusé de “génocide” des Druzes

Israël a mis vendredi sa menace à exécution contre la Syrie en bombardant les abords du palais présidentiel à Damas après que le chef de la minorité druze, protégée par le pouvoir israélien, eut accusé le pouvoir du nouveau président syrien Ahmad al-Chareh de “génocide”.Le plus influent chef religieux druze en Syrie, cheikh Hikmat al-Hajrin, venait de dénoncer jeudi soir une “campagne génocidaire injustifiée” visant des “civils” de sa communauté, après des affrontements confessionnels en début de semaine qui ont fait plus de 100 morts selon une ONG. Le chef religieux druze alors réclamé “une intervention immédiate de forces internationales” et Israël — voisin de la Syrie avec laquelle il est en état de guerre et qui a pris fait et cause pour les Druzes — avait aussitôt menacé de répondre “avec force” si Damas ne protégeait pas cette minorité religieuse.Quelques heures après, à l’aube vendredi, “des avions de combat ont frappé les environs du palais” présidentiel à Damas, a annoncé l’armée israélienne sur Telegram.”C’est un message clair envoyé au régime syrien. Nous ne permettrons pas que des forces (syriennes) soient dépêchées au sud de Damas ou menacent de quelque manière que ce soit la communauté druze”, ont martelé dans un communiqué, publié en anglais par le journal Times of Israel, le Premier ministre Benjamin Netanyahu et son ministre de la Défense Israël Katz.Des heurts à proximité et au sud de Damas entre combattants druzes et groupes armés liés au pouvoir sunnite du président Ahmad al-Chareh illustrent l’instabilité persistante en Syrie, près de cinq mois après le renversement de son prédécesseur Bachar al-Assad, issu de la minorité alaouite.”Nous ne faisons plus confiance à une entité qui prétend être un gouvernement. (…) Un gouvernement ne tue pas son peuple en recourant à ses propres milices extrémistes, puis, après les massacres, en prétendant que ce sont des éléments incontrôlés”, avait dénoncé le cheikh druze.- “Rhétorique incendiaire” -L’ONU a exhorté “toutes les parties à faire preuve d’un maximum de retenue” et la diplomatie américaine a fustigé “les dernières violences et la rhétorique incendiaire” antidruzes “répréhensibles et inacceptables”.Des combats cette semaine à Jaramana et Sahnaya, où vivent des chrétiens et des Druzes, ainsi qu’à Soueïda, ville à majorité druze, ont réveillé le spectre des massacres qui avaient fait début mars plus de 1.700 morts, en grande majorité des membres de la minorité alaouite, dans l’ouest du pays. Ces violences avaient été déclenchées par des attaques de militants pro-Assad contre les forces de sécurité du nouveau pouvoir.Mercredi déjà, l’armée israélienne avait frappé près de Damas, en forme “d’avertissement” contre un “groupe extrémiste qui se préparait à attaquer la population druze de la ville de Sahnaya”, selon M. Netanyahu.Les Druzes sont une minorité de l’islam chiite. Ses membres sont répartis entre le Liban, la Syrie et Israël.”Nous sommes une partie inaliénable de la Syrie”, a souligné un porte-parole du rassemblement des autorités religieuses, chefs traditionnels et groupes armés druzes à Soueïda, ajoutant que la communauté rejetait “toute division” du pays.Les combats en Syrie ont été déclenchés lundi soir par une attaque de groupes armés affiliés au pouvoir contre Jaramana, après la diffusion sur les réseaux sociaux d’un message audio attribué à un Druze et jugé blasphématoire à l’égard du prophète Mahomet. L’AFP n’a pas pu vérifier l’authenticité du message.Les autorités syriennes ont accusé des éléments échappant à son contrôle d’avoir provoqué les violences.- 102 morts -Selon un bilan de l’Observatoire syrien des droits de l’homme (OSDH), ces affrontements ont fait 102 morts, dont 30 membres des forces de sécurité et combattants affiliés, 21 combattants druzes et 11 civils à Jaramana et Sahnaya. Dans la province de Soueïda, 40 combattants druzes ont péri, dont 35 dans une embuscade, d’après l’ONG.A Jaramana, des accords entre représentants des Druzes et du pouvoir avaient permis de rétablir le calme mardi soir, de même mercredi soir à Sahnaya à 15 km au sud-ouest de Damas où des forces de sécurité ont été déployées.Et le pouvoir syrien avait réaffirmé son “engagement ferme à protéger toutes les composantes du peuple syrien, y compris la communauté druze”. Dès la chute de Bachar al-Assad le 8 décembre, renversé par une coalition de factions rebelles islamistes dirigée par M. Chareh après plus de 13 ans de guerre civile, Israël a multiplié les gestes d’ouverture envers les Druzes, cherchant, selon l’analyste indépendant Michael Horowitz, à se ménager des alliés dans le sud syrien à un moment où l’avenir de ce pays reste incertain.

Israël bombarde près du palais du président syrien accusé de “génocide” des Druzes

Backyard barnyard: rising egg prices prompt hen hires in US

Stung by the rocketing price of eggs — and US supermarkets rationing a basic breakfast staple — Yong-mi Kim decided to get some chickens to secure her own supply in southern California.While many people idly muse about backyard farming, for those not ready to take the plunge permanently, there’s a solution: renting a henhouse, complete with egg-laying birds.”I really want to try it out and see whether I like it or not,” the Los Angeles-area resident told AFP as she took delivery of two chickens and all the equipment they need to live a happy egg-laying life.”Some people I know have chickens at home, but it’s a lot of work for them — they had to adjust the whole garden themselves.”So I think renting a chicken is a good start.”Hiring hens began to gain ground in the United States around a decade ago in Pennsylvania when a farming couple set up “Rent The Chicken.” Since then, the project has expanded to more than 40 cities across North America, with local farmers setting up their own offshoots.The service saw an uptick in interest during the Covid-19 lockdowns, when people were stuck at home.But it has skyrocketed in recent months as consumers quail over the soaring cost of eggs, thanks to a bird flu pandemic that has seen the wholesale culling of egg-laying birds.”Especially this year, we have had a much higher interest, I would say, three to four times as much as we were seeing this time last year,” said Victoria Lee, who serves the Los Angeles region from her farm in Agua Dulce.Some Americans have been forking over more than $10 for a dozen eggs, up to three times their usual price, with supermarkets putting daily limits on the number of cartons a shopper can buy.The eyewatering costs were a regular feature of last year’s presidential campaign, with US President Donald Trump pledging to lower grocery bills when he got to the White House.But prices have continued to climb, and in March eggs were 60 percent more expensive than a year earlier, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.Lee is quick to point out, however, that raising chickens at home is not cheaper than buying eggs at the store. Instead, it’s a question of quality.”By the time they get to the grocery store (eggs) are on average 48-60 days old,” she said.”As eggs sit, no matter the quality at the start of that countdown, over time, the protein in the eggs begins to break down.”Backyard eggs, in contrast, are only as old as however long it took the owner to pick them up off the henhouse floor.- ‘Free eggs!’ – “Rent the Chicken” offers different options that range from around $500 to over $1,000 for six months, depending on location and number of birds desired. Packages include the birds, food, waterers and feeders, additional treats and a chicken care guide.But it is the included coop that is most striking — a sort of mini house with what looks like a patio, completely protected by fences.It’s also moveable, thanks to wheels on the bottom. “Every day, our renters will lift this up … and move it forward… with the chickens having access to fresh grass each day.”They’re getting the experience of being on wide-open pasture with that new stimulation, new bugs to look for, new grass to dig through, while still being safe in a predator-proof coop.”The convenience is what made the package attractive to Kim, a university professor living in La Crescenta, near Los Angeles, and when her new coop arrived, she was absolutely thrilled.”Free eggs!” Lee exclaimed while unloading the new backyard tenants and handing over a complimentary dozen laid the previous week.A client with two chickens can expect up to 14 eggs per week, Lee explains. Kim, whose son is an athlete who eats a lot of eggs, says although the supply crisis prompted her to rent the chickens, it’s “bigger than that.” “I really wanted to have something for the kids, also to learn as a way of life, and to compare the taste of the eggs,” she said.

Canelo aims to land knockout blow against Scull in Saudi debut

Mexican boxing legend Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will be looking to unify the super middleweight titles this weekend, when he squares off with IBF champion William Scull in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh. Alvarez, 34, brings a record of 62-2-2 with 39 knockouts into what promises to be a high-stakes clash, as he continues his tradition of fighting during the Cinco de Mayo weekend.Canelo is coming off a punishing unanimous decision over Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas in September. Ahead of that bout, Alvarez was stripped of his International Boxing Federation belt when he opted to box Berlanga rather than Scull — the IBF’s mandatory challenger.This weekend’s contest will mark the first time the Mexican champion will fight outside of North America during his nearly 20-year professional career. The boxers are set to enter the ring in the early hours of Sunday morning in Riyadh to coincide with Saturday evening festivities over the Cinco de Mayo weekend back in North America. Alvarez inked a four-fight deal with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Seasons promotion in February, the latest boxing superstar to flock to the kingdom for a mega payday. “Believe me. This is nothing new for me. But for him, it’s gonna be something different, for sure,” said Alvarez during a press conference in Riyadh on Thursday. The betting lines show that Scull remains a massive underdog going into the weekend’s fight. With the contest flying under the radar for casual fans, many see the bout as a warm-up match ahead of a widely anticipated super fight between Alvarez and Terence Crawford later this year, which is rumoured to be in the final stages of negotiations. But all of that hinges on Canelo winning in Riyadh this weekend. “No one could be a bigger spoiler than William Scull,” said veteran combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani during a podcast this week. “If William Scull wins somehow, someway on Saturday night, he ruins all of those plans.”In the lead up to the fight, Scull said he remained relaxed and confident, as he brushed away concerns that an early-morning start time could affect his performance. “This is a fight and I’m ready to do it any time,” Scull told AFP earlier this week. “Canelo is a great boxer. It’s a tough fight but it’s another man. I’m looking to take what is mine as well,” the undefeated 32-year-old Cuban added. On the undercard, French super middleweight Bruno Surace will be looking to silence any remaining doubters during his rematch against Jaime Munguia, after scoring a devastating sixth-round knockout in Tijuana in December. The win earned the Marseille native the prestigious Ring magazine’s “Upset of the Year” award.Boxing sits high in the growing portfolio of Saudi Arabia’s oil-funded thrust into the sporting world, which has drawn accusations of “sportswashing” its dubious human rights record.Along with Formula One, the LIV Golf tour, Newcastle United and attracting several ageing football stars to its domestic league, the conservative kingdom’s strategy cemented its crowning moment late last year after Saudi Arabia was named as the host of football’s 2034 World Cup.