U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement Maintains Key Access for U.S. Red Meat Exports

U.S.-Japan trade Photo by Christopher Panapan

Following last week’s high-level Japanese tariff negotiations in Washington, D.C., a new chapter in the U.S.-Japan trade and investment agreement is taking shape—one that promises ongoing stability for U.S. red meat exports. According to U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom, the finalized deal is a critical step in preserving long-term market access in one of the largest global destinations for American beef and pork.

“I think there was a bit of relief in the Japanese trade having met with several importer distributors and of course some of our member exporters as well while I was there,” Halstrom said. “You know I think the fact that a deal had been done on autos, which is obviously one of the big sticky points with Japan, kind of laid to rest any concerns there might have been on possible retaliation from the Japanese side should a deal not have been reached.”

Japan continues to be the second largest export market for U.S. red meat, with 2024 numbers showing $1.9 billion in U.S. beef exports to Japan and $1.4 billion in U.S. pork exports, totaling approximately $3.3 billion in sales. This steady performance highlights the critical nature of maintaining tariff stability under the new U.S.-Japan trade agreement.

Halstrom emphasized the importance of the 2020 Phase One agreement signed during the Trump administration, which addressed a major disadvantage in tariff structures between the U.S. and its global competitors. “One needs to remember as it relates to Japan, in 2020 in Trump administration one the Japan-U.S. ag agreement was announced and that was really key because we were not on a level playing field at that time with our global competitors,” he explained.

“Even though our duties are higher than some other countries—you know currently we’re at 21.6 percent on U.S. beef into Japan—but it got us on a level playing field and the fact that we got this deal done at least at the minimum maintains that level playing field.”

As talks continue to evolve, the preservation of fair market access remains essential for U.S. exporters. The U.S. Meat Export Federation remains committed to ensuring that U.S. red meat exports continue to thrive in this vital Asian market.

U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement Maintains Key Access for U.S. Red Meat Exports

Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.