TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese trade minister Hiroshige Seko said on Tuesday that there was a high possibility Japan would be exempted from U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium on per-item basis.
Seko said he was aware Japanese steel makers and others were encouraging their U.S. clients to apply for exemptions. He added that Japanese steel and aluminium products contributed greatly to U.S. industry and that they were irreplaceable.
U.S. President Donald Trump pressed ahead earlier this month with import tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent for aluminium but exempted Canada and Mexico and offered the possibility of excluding other allies.
(Reporting by Ami Miyazaki, writing by Kaori Kaneko, editing by Chris Gallagher)