Trump's earlier promise to exempt Japan from auto tariffs draws scrutiny

U.S. president told late ex-PM Abe in 2019 that no additional duties will be imposed

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Then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump sign a wide-ranging trade agreement in September 2019. © Reuters

SHUNSUKE USHIGOME

TOKYO -- As U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to announce additional tariffs on automobile imports as soon as April, a promise he made to the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2019 to not impose additional duties on Japanese cars is drawing renewed attention.

Abe and Trump agreed in September 2019 to sign a U.S.-Japan trade pact, releasing a joint statement that the agreements would be implemented "based on mutual trust."

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