Japan Scores Top Spot in Line for US Tariff Talks: Supply Lines

Donald Trump the businessman came of age as a protectionist back in the 1980s, when Japan was the biggest threat to domestic manufacturers. Four decades later, Trump the president is showing Japan some courtesy in his trade wars now that China is the top competitor.

Asia’s No. 2 economy looks set to get priority in tariff talks, moving to the front of a long line of countries seeking to roll back so-called reciprocal US border taxes, which are scheduled to kick in on Wednesday. (Click here to bookmark our Tariff Tracker.)

Trump’s nostalgia for American corporate titans who persevered ...