Yeutter Doubts Japan can Avoid U.S. Sanctions

U.S. Trade Representative Clayton Yeutter said he doubted Japan could avoid the April 17 imposition of U.S. tariffs on its semiconductor products.

The three high-level Japanese government representatives who would be coming here in the next few days to discuss the issue would probably be unable to show evidence of continued compliance with the semiconductor trade agreement, Yeutter told reporters.

“It would be impossible to provide evidence of compliance with the agreement” based on sales of only a few days time, he said.

Asked by reporters if the sanctions were 100 pct certain for April 17, he said, “One could never foreclose all options. We have an obligation to listen to the arguments our trading partners make.”

He said the length of the sanctions will be determined by Japan and Japanese semiconductor firms.

“They would be lifted only when persuasive evidence provided demonstrates compliance,” he said.

“Whether a few weeks or a few months depends on their actions,” Yeutter added.