US Import Tariffs from Japan

The US-Japan Trade Agreement (USJTA), effective January 1, 2020, covers limited categories rather than providing comprehensive tariff elimination. USJTA provides preferential rates primarily on agricultural products (beef, pork, wheat, cheese, wine) and select industrial goods. Critically, vehicles and most auto parts are NOT covered by USJTA — they remain at 2.5% MFN. Electronics from Japan qualify for 0% under the WTO ITA (Information Technology Agreement) regardless of USJTA. For agricultural goods with USJTA-specific rate reductions, importers must claim preferential treatment on CBP entry with a USJTA certificate of origin. The IEEPA 10% baseline added in 2026 applies to non-USJTA goods, meaning most Japanese manufactured goods now face 10% + MFN.

Japan operates under a Section 232 TRQ (Tariff Rate Quota) arrangement for steel. Japanese steel exports within the quarterly quota cap enter at 0% Section 232 rather than the standard 25%. Different HTS steel categories have different TRQ caps, set at historical export average volumes. Above-quota steel shipments trigger the full 25% Section 232 rate. Aluminum from Japan does not have a formal TRQ arrangement — Japanese aluminum is subject to the 10% Section 232 tariff. Importers should track quarterly quota utilization for their specific steel HTS codes (e.g., HTS 7208 hot-rolled, 7209 cold-rolled, 7210 galvanized) before shipping, as quotas can exhaust by mid-quarter for high-demand categories.

Japanese passenger vehicles (HTS 8703) enter at 2.5% MFN — vehicles are not covered under USJTA despite the agreement's existence. Commercial trucks and buses face 25% MFN (HTS 8704). Auto parts (HTS 8708) face 2.5%–3.1% MFN. With the IEEPA 10% baseline stacking on non-USJTA goods, the effective 2026 rate for Japanese passenger vehicles approaches 12.5%. Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are the largest Japan-origin vehicle importers — their US manufacturing operations partially offset import volumes, but Japan-origin vehicles (including Lexus, Acura, Infiniti premium lines) still enter in significant numbers. For auto parts, verify whether specific HTS codes qualify for USJTA preferential treatment before each shipment.

Japanese electronics and precision instruments face specific US compliance requirements: (1) Electronics under ITA enter at 0% duty regardless of USJTA — Sony, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Kyocera are major Japan-origin electronics exporters. (2) FCC equipment authorization required for all RF-emitting devices; Japanese manufacturers typically maintain excellent FCC and CE documentation. (3) Precision instruments (HTS 9001–9032) face 0%–4% MFN — optical instruments (HTS 9001) at 0%, measuring instruments (9026–9032) at 0%–4.4%. (4) Industrial robots and CNC machinery (HTS 8428–8457) face 0%–3.9% MFN plus IEEPA 10%. Japanese precision equipment manufacturers (Keyence, Mitutoyo, Yokogawa) generally have strong US regulatory compliance programs, reducing CBP examination risk.

The 2026 IEEPA executive order proposed a 24% additional tariff on Japanese imports, subsequently paused at a 10% universal baseline during the 90-day negotiation period. The 10% baseline stacks on top of MFN rates for goods not covered by the USJTA. For most Japanese manufactured goods, this creates a combined effective rate of MFN + 10% IEEPA: vehicles at ~12.5%, machinery at ~10%–14%, chemicals at ~6%–11%. USJTA-qualifying goods may be partially or fully protected from the IEEPA baseline — importers should confirm with their customs broker whether specific USJTA-covered products are excluded from the IEEPA surcharge. US-Japan trade negotiations are ongoing toward a broader FTA; any agreement would eliminate both MFN and IEEPA layers for qualifying Japanese goods.