When US President Donald Trump announced the latest Steel and aluminum definitions This week, he insisted that there will be “any exemptions, no exceptions.”

Washington’s closest allies in the Asia and Pacific region hope that they can change the mind of the Mechanical President.

Japan, South Korea, Australia, and American treaties with export dependents, have confirmed that they are looking for exemptions from the Trump tariff by 25 percent on steel and aluminum.

Trump pledge b Follow up the measures Against steel and aluminum imported with the broader mutual tariff, which can cover a wide range of goods, on countries that impose fees on American exports on Thursday.

“We will take the necessary measures, including pressure on the United States to obtain an exemption, while monitoring any potential impact on the Japanese economy,” said Prime Minister Shigro Ishiba, who met Trump in Washington last week.

Tokyo’s efforts to influence Trump may include obligations to increase US imports.

The American trade deficit with Japan reached about $ 70 billion last year, mostly as a result of exports by Japanese auto companies such as Toyota, Honda and Nissan.

Chigito Nagai, President of Asia Economy in Oxford, said that Tokyo is likely to shed light on its importance as an ally in the face of China in the region and “a technical advantage for it, which is strongly required by the United States to take the initiative in the new strategic industries.” .

“Japan has a large trade surplus with the United States for machines, which gives an incentive to the United States to impose definitions,” Nagai told Al -Jazeera.

“At the same time, the technological feature of Japanese machines such as equipment and semiconductor materials will make it difficult to find quickly.”

After them White House talks on FridayTrump and Aishiba issued a joint statement recognizing the Republican’s business schedule of strengthening the local industry, including pledge to enhance energy security by “launching energy and reliable and reliable natural resources of the United States.”

Meanwhile, Ishiba admired Trump that Japan has been the largest foreign investor in the United States over the past five years and announced plans of trillion dollars in more investments, including artificial intelligence.

“My feeling is that this [tariff exemptions] “It is still negotiable,” said Ruita Abi, an economist at Sumitomo Mitsoy Banking Company (SMBC.

“The harmful effects of the American economy will not be small in the event of a serious damage between the two. This will not be the best option even for the United States.”

Although the priorities of his second administration policy are still revealing, Trump has taken his reputation for being fond of his deal with him from his first term.

Despite the insistence on this Its definitions will apply to all countries, Trump left the door almost immediately open to the exclusion of Australia, saying that he would give “great consideration” of exemption.

“We have a surplus with Australia, one of the few,” Trump said.

Peter Navarro, Trump’s chief trade consultant for trade and manufacturing, poured cold water on those hopes the next day, claiming that Australia “kills” the American aluminum market.

Aluminum exports in Australia increased after Trump entered his post in 2016, reaching a peak of about 269,000 tons in 2019.

Exports have been dreadful since then, reaching 83,000 tons in 2024, a decrease from 210,000 in the previous year.

“In general, the second Trump administration behaves more cruel and chaotic than the first allies, so allies such as Japan – Australia, NATO/European Union [European Union] “The allies – they will continue to face a very volatile and difficult diplomatic situation, which will require the leadership of Dexteros very.

During his first term, Trump did not adopt a unified approach to granting a reintegration to friendly countries and allies.

In 2018, his administration gave Australia from a tariff of steel and aluminum and gave South Korea a graphic -exempted steel share of 2.63 million tons.

But his administration did not extend such relief to Japan.

The administration of former US President Joe Biden reduced the customs tariff on the Japanese steel in 2022, and agreed to allow 1.25 million metric tons of steel to enter the United States every year exempt from customs duties while maintaining definitions of aluminum in place.

“The Trump administration’s first experience” shows how Japan can find itself the goal of the American definitions again, despite all its diplomatic efforts, “said Mark, noting that” Trump administration’s first experience “shows how Japan can find itself the goal of the American definitions again, despite all its diplomatic efforts,” lengths to build a close personal relationship with Trump.

While Trump has a “more expansionist view of his jurisdiction”, compared to his first term, and customs tariff views as “a real value tool that can be used to solve countless problems”, the predominant feature of his management is uncertainty, Deborah Elmz said, Head of Commercial Policy at the Hinrich Foundation in Singapore.

ELMS said it is not sure that Trump himself will be able to provide answers about his direction or goals, “or if he does so, his answers now will be as he might say in an hour, day or another week.”

“Since it is the trade policy that leads – at the present time, at least – this lack of the importance of clarity,” Elmoz told Al -Jazeera.