TAKASAKI (Reuters) - Four 
decades ago, Hiroko Suzuki’s father threaded the needle of a U.S. trade war by pushing the family auto-parts business into newer niche products. Now, tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are so sweeping they threaten her own attempt to diversify the 78-year-old company into medical devices.
Japan’s top trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, headed to Washington on Friday for a third round of talks.
The worry is evident at companies like Kyowa Industrial, a maker of prototype parts and race-car components based in Takasaki, north of Tokyo. Kyowa, which employs 120 people, was among six auto suppliers that told Reuters they were concerned about their ability to withstand the tariff pressure on Japan’s car industry.
“What in the world are we going to do?” Suzuki, Kyowa’s third-generation president, recalled thinking when the tariffs were announced. “This is going to be bad.”
Major automakers have largely offered muted support for suppliers since Trump’s tariff announcements. Last month, Toyota, Nissan and Ford sent letters to the U.S. arms of some Japanese suppliers asking for cooperation in the face of tariffs, according to copies reviewed by Reuters, without offering specifics.
Trump introduced a 25 percent tariff on automobiles and later a 24 percent tariff on all Japanese goods. The latter was slashed to 10 percent for 90 days, which runs out in July.