＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
In the U.S.-China trade war, President Trump’s decision to impose 25% sanctions tariffs on $200 billion worth of imports from China is a “fool’s errand”.
The United States, which should represent free trade principles, has changed its policy to protectionism since President Trump became president. It is clear that this race to raise sanctions tariffs will not only burden the U.S. and Chinese people, but will also have a negative impact on the global economy, including Japanese companies that export parts to China.
１．The explanation that “we’ll make China pay the sanctions tariffs” is sophistry (lack of understanding?)
President Trump seems to be saying that, because of the huge trade deficit with China, he is “aiming to reduce the trade deficit by reducing the volume of imports from China by imposing high tariffs on Chinese imports,” but the burden of these 25% sanctions tariffs will be borne by the American people (companies and consumers).
Therefore, President Trump’s explanation that “China will bear the burden” is sophistry, or rather, a lack of understanding.
２．Is there any cabinet member or aide who can stop President Trump’s economic policies from spiraling out of control?
The majority of economists and politicians in the United States, Japan, and the rest of the world believe that tariffs and trade wars will have a negative impact on the economy.
For example, raising tariffs with the goal of protecting the steel industry from foreign competition would drive up manufacturing costs for the many domestic companies that use steel as a material.
Furthermore, it could escalate into an all-out trade war, inviting retaliatory measures that would hurt other parts of the economy, such as agriculture. In other words, aiming for a narrow, short-term benefit may later pay a much broader, long-term negative price.
In the Trump administration, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and numerous other cabinet members have resigned. Are there no cabinet members who can point out the errors in President Trump’s economic policies and turn them around in the right direction? Or are they too stupid to listen to what anyone has to say?
３．Can we only hope that Prime Minister Abe will be able to persuade President Trump?
Since the first Japan-U.S. summit, Prime Minister Abe has been promoting his closeness, and I believe that he is far more trusted than, for example, South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
For my part, I have high hopes for Prime Minister Abe’s diplomatic skills, but I don’t think we can expect too much.
The only solution, I believe, is for the Trump administration’s economic cabinet members and other well-meaning and influential members of the U.S. Conservative Party to persuade President Trump himself to understand that the race to raise tariffs is a fool’s errand.
However, there are some who believe that this trade war between the U.S. and China will result in Chinese products no longer selling in the U.S. and Japanese products selling instead, or that China will be devastated as a result of this trade war, as Japan and other countries will stop production in China and shift their production to Vietnam and other countries.