Donald Trump's insistence that "spoiled" Japan imports more US rice is adding to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's problems ahead of elections that could sink his premiership after less than a year in office.

Japanese carmakers cut export prices to the U.S. by a record 19.4% in June, the steepest decline since at least 2016. The drop reflects efforts to stay competitive after U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25% auto tariffs took effect in April,

Try The Mainichi News Quiz for July 11 to test your news knowledge. Ready?What tariff rate has U.S. President Donald Trump announced will apply to Japan from Aug. 1?A) 10%B) 15%C) 24%D) 25%Read the ed

The U.S. will put in place a 25% tariffs on imports from Japan and South Korea starting on Aug. 1, according to letters posted by President Donald Trump on his social media platform on Monday. Trump already delayed the high tariff rates against dozens of U.S. trade partners that he rolled out on April 2 until Wednesday.

The Trump administration has again delayed the date when new reciprocal tariffs will go into effect, and the president threatened a 35 percent tariff on Canada.

"Deeply regrettable" is how Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has described US President Donald Trump's latest tariff threat - a 25% levy on Japanese goods. Tokyo, a long-time US ally, has been trying hard to avoid exactly this.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met counterparts in Southeast Asia on Thursday during his first visit to Asia since taking office, seeking to reassure them the region is a U.S. priority despite President Donald Trump's tariff offensive.

It shows that personal grudges rather than simple economics are a driving force in the U.S. leader’s use of tariffs.