Trump Revises Section 232 Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum and Copper, Temporarily Cuts Duties on Farm Machinery (Japan, Taiwan, Korea, EU, UK, Switzerland and others)A · FULL TRANSLATION
- The U.S. revises its Section 232 tariff measures on steel, aluminum and copper
- Temporary tariff reductions are applied to items such as agricultural machinery
- The changes involve Japan, Taiwan, Korea, the EU, the UK, Switzerland and others
- JETRO compiles the trade-policy change for businesses' reference
Washington again invokes Section 232 to adjust steel-aluminum-copper tariffs while granting time-limited relief on farm machinery—a "tighten with one hand, loosen with the other" combination typical of current U.S. trade policy: industrial leverage in the name of security, with tariffs as an on-off negotiating switch.
For supply chains spanning Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Europe, the real cost is not the rate itself but policy unpredictability—firms can't plan long-term investment and must bake "political risk" into sourcing and plant decisions. Temporary cuts look more like bargaining chips than stable rules.
When the world's largest market turns tariffs into a daily variable, how can export-dependent economies like Taiwan and Japan defend competitiveness amid shifting rules?
U.S. President Trump has announced a revision to the tariffs imposed on steel, aluminum and copper under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, while applying time-limited tariff reductions to certain items such as agricultural machinery.
The measures involve multiple economies, including El Salvador, Liechtenstein, Guatemala, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the United States, Argentina, Ecuador, the EU, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
The adjustments reflect the continued U.S. use of Section 232 as a tool for regulating imports and protecting industry—maintaining high tariffs on strategic metals such as steel, aluminum and copper while granting temporary relief on specific items. JETRO has compiled this trade-policy development to help relevant companies grasp the changing environment for exports to the United States.