Donald Trump’s tariff policies have been designed to bring manufacturing back to the United States and protect American jobs. Although the practical results in the US have been mixed so far, retaliation from trading partners such as China and the EU has hit US agriculture especially hard. The impact of tariffs and policy uncertainty has also been significant globally, including in Japan, affecting regions and industries in different ways, with some companies tending to benefit, but others getting left behind.

In this webinar, moderated by Professor Hugh Whittaker, Dr Daisuke Adachi will talk about the impact of the tariffs; potential trends, such as accelerated automation; related challenges; and lessons for Japan, such as the importance of long-term strategies, flexible supply chains, and knowledge-driven investment.

About The contributors

Dr Daisuke Adachi

Daisuke Adachi is an Associate Professor of Economics at Aarhus University, specialising in international trade and labour economics. His research focuses on the intersection of automation, globalisation and labour markets, with a particular focus on how new technologies reshape employment, wages and policy design. His recent publications include work on the elasticity of substitution between robots and workers in the Journal of Monetary Economics and evidence on robots and employment in the Journal of Labor Economics. Other projects investigate issues such as corporate insurance under natural disasters, multinational production and labour share, and the fiscal burden of health-related risks. He received his PhD in Economics from Yale University in 2021 and previously studied at the University of Tokyo.

Professor Hugh Whittaker

Hugh Whittaker is a Professor in the Economy and Business of Japan at the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, and a Fellow of St Antony’s College, University of Oxford. His research interests include entrepreneurship, management of innovation, corporate governance and employment relations in Japan, as well as political economy and economic development in East Asia. Recent publications include Building a New Economy: Japan’s Digital and Green Transformation (2024) and (co-authored) Compressed Development: Time and Timing in Economic and Social Development (2020). He currently supervises or co-supervises DPhil students on a range of topics, from Japan’s space industry to Northeast China’s early industrialisation.