US Imposes Tariffs on 87 Steel and Aluminum Derivative Products... Government Pledges "Active Response"

Government Vows "Active Response"

When the Donald Trump administration announced on the 12th (local time) that it would impose a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum derivatives, the government stated that it would actively respond while communicating with the industry. Initially, the U.S. Department of Commerce had decided to postpone the tariff imposition until further notice, but the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) declared that it would impose tariffs immediately.

The U.S. CBP announced on its website that it would impose tariffs immediately from 12:01 PM Eastern Standard Time on the 12th on 87 steel and aluminum derivative products (based on U.S. HS 8-digit units). This applies not only to 172 derivative products such as bolts, nuts, and springs but also to 87 derivative products including automotive parts like bumpers, bodies, and suspensions, as well as home appliance parts and aircraft parts. A 25% tariff is applied based on the value of steel and aluminum content.

The government plans to closely monitor U.S. trends, including whether additional derivative products will be subject to tariffs, and provide legal and accounting advice as well as document preparation support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) exporting to the U.S. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated, "At present, this CBP-level notice was made before the Department of Commerce's official announcement was published in the Federal Register, so we are carefully reviewing additional details." The government plans to actively respond to the U.S. tariff imposition while maintaining close communication with the industry.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will immediately support SMEs exporting to the U.S. that need to prove the value based on steel and aluminum content by providing legal and accounting advice and assistance with customs document preparation.