US farm groups are ramping up pressure on Donald Trump to quickly launch trade talks with Tokyo, as they face mounting evidence of lost sales and market share in Japan following America’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
In recent weeks, wheat, pork and beef producers in the US have complained that they are being rapidly outflanked and replaced in the lucrative Japanese market by rivals including Canada, Australia, and EU member states, whose trade deals with Japan entered into force in recent months.
Farm belt politicians, including from Mr Trump’s own Republican party, are increasingly restless about the latest trends in trade with Japan, which has added to the angst among farmers and ranchers about the president’s protectionist trade policies. Farmers and ranchers have already suffered heavily because of retaliatory tariffs imposed by China on their products.