The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on February 20th that the sweeping tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on various countries were illegal. Trump responded by announcing he would impose a new 10% global tariff.

Following the move, a Japanese government official told NTV that the new 10% tariff is likely a temporary measure that will last for about five months.

Another official commented that the 10% tariff was not entirely unexpected, as it was expected that Trump would continue to impose tariffs even if deemed illegal.  They also suggested that the U.S. side will likely face a massive number of court battles over tariff refunds going forward.

Some Japanese companies had filed lawsuits seeking refunds of tariffs paid in anticipation that the Supreme Court would rule Trump’s tariffs illegal. Such businesses expressed confusion, saying that uncertainties remained.

Japanese imaging and electronics company Ricoh said that it had to examine the details of the ruling, and will monitor its impact on Ricoh’s business environment.

Japanese trading company Toyota Tsusho said that it will monitor future developments as the  procedures required for tariff refunds have not been specified yet.