Affiliates of 9 Japan Firms Sue U.S. Govt over Trump Tariffs

Washington, Dec. 2 (Jiji Press)–U.S. affiliates of nine Japanese companies, including trading house Toyota Tsusho Corp., have sued the U.S. government, challenging the legality of tariffs imposed by the administration of President Donald Trump, it was learned Tuesday. The plaintiffs are seeking full refunds of the tariffs they have paid if the U.S. Supreme Court rules in similar lawsuits that reciprocal tariffs and other measures introduced by the administration are illegal. The other eight Japanese companies are Sumitomo Chemical Co., precision equipment maker Ricoh Co., Yokohama Rubber Co., NGK Insulators Ltd., lighting equipment maker Ushio Inc., Kawasaki Motors Ltd., Proterial Ltd., formerly Hitachi Metals Ltd., and machine tool maker Yamazaki Mazak Corp. The affiliates of the Japanese companies argued that there is no guarantee that the tariffs they have paid will be refunded even if the Supreme Court finds the levies illegal. They demanded that the top court recognize the tariffs as illegal and ban the U.S. administration from imposing additional tariffs. The Supreme Court is reviewing the legality of the reciprocal tariffs introduced under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which grants the president authority to address security threats, as well as the tariffs imposed on China, Canada and Mexico. Lower courts have ruled that the tariffs go beyond the president’s authority and are therefore illegal. The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its ruling by year-end. The U.S. administration will be required to refund the tariffs it collected if they are ruled illegal. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]