Japan threatens to offload its $1 trillion US Treasury holdings if Trump trade talks don’t go well
By: cryptosheadlines|2025/05/02 20:45:01
0
Share
Airdrop Is Live CaryptosHeadlines Media Has Launched Its Native Token CHT. Airdrop Is Live For Everyone, Claim Instant 5000 CHT Tokens Worth Of $50 USDT. Join the Airdrop at the official website, CryptosHeadlinesToken.com Japan just pulled out the sharpest blade it’s got in the drawer — $1.13 trillion in US Treasury bonds. That’s what Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato waved in America’s face on Friday, right on national television.Asked if Japan would ever use its role as the world’s biggest foreign holder of US government debt as a weapon in trade talks with President Donald Trump’s administration, Kato didn’t blink. He said, “It does exist as a card,” and tossed that line like a lit match. “Whether or not we use that card is a different decision.”This wasn’t some offhand comment either. Japan has always avoided even talking about dumping Treasuries. But now, with Trump throwing around “reciprocal” tariffs like candy since April 2, Tokyo’s keeping its options open.That tariff stunt already sent US markets into a tailspin. Treasury yields spiked, bonds got dumped, and traders panicked. After the chaos, Trump paused the tariffs for 90 days, but of course, the damage was already done.Japan uses bond threat to push back on Trump’s tariff warKato’s words landed hours after Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s top trade negotiator, wrapped up another tense meeting in Washington. He sat down with Scott Bessent, Trump’s Treasury Secretary, and other White House officials.No details were made public, but diplomatic sources say they talked about US car imports, energy, and agriculture deals. The trade surplus with the US is a long-time sore spot, and Trump wants it cut—fast.The Japanese side might consider buying more American gas and farm goods. But that’s not happening without a fight. Kato, who met Bessent personally in the last week of April, is one of the key guys in this whole thing. And he’s clearly had enough.Analysts are calling it what it is: a warning shot. Nicholas Smith, chief Japan strategist at CLSA, said, “This is a street fight. Promising not to use one of your strongest, most brutal weapons would be both naive and reckless. You don’t need to use the weapon—just brandish it.” And that’s exactly what Kato did.It’s not just about Japan either. If China, which also holds a mountain of Treasuries, jumps in with a similar threat, the US bond market is screwed. Between Japan’s stash and China’s, the leverage is real. With Japan leading the charge now, they’ve opened the door to something much bigger.The prime minister of Japan has already called Trump’s trade war a “national crisis.” Kato taking this public shows just how fed up he and his top guys are. Jesper Koll, director at Monex Group, called the move shocking, especially from someone as careful as Kato.“The fact that the usually extremely guarded and diplomatic finance minister spoke up on national TV about what is arguably Japan’s biggest asset in dealing with America confirms the growing confidence of Japan’s elite in their dealings with the US,” Koll said.Negotiations between Akazawa and the Trump team are expected to ramp up through May, with a possible deal on the table by June. But Japan’s now fighting back with sharp elbows. They’re not just asking for “fairness.” They’re saying: Touch us again, and we torch the bond market.Cryptopolitan Academy: Coming Soon – A New Way to Earn Passive Income with DeFi in 2025. Learn MoreSource link
You may also like

Morning News | The draft amendment to the People's Bank of China Law aims to clarify the legal status of digital renminbi; South Korea will transfer about 40 unregistered virtual asset service providers to law enforcement agencies
Overview of Important Market Events on June 24

The cryptocurrency industry has entered the "Show Me" era: merely relying on vision is no longer enough
The awareness level of the audience in the cryptocurrency industry—including media, institutions, and retail investors—is steadily increasing, and this trend has become a foregone conclusion.

Interpreting the Ethereum Foundation's new structure: Reaffirming self-sovereignty amid institutional trends
The Ethereum Foundation has announced a new five-layer working framework, clarifying the focus of future development and reaffirming its commitment to decentralized core values amidst the wave of institutionalization.

Former SpaceX engineer reconstructs the financial execution system using first principles
Plan Execution Lab completes angel round financing for Singapore family office, with a valuation of 50 million USD.

Tidal Investment: We still have a positive outlook on the AI industry chain, but the reasons have changed
The intense financing by tech giants has triggered a panic of "AI peak," but the soaring capital expenditures of the five major cloud vendors and the bottlenecks in physical infrastructure indicate that the AI investment cycle is far from over; the second half of this grand performance has just begu...

Standard Chartered Bank sings a 50x rhapsody again, aiming for AAVE to reach 3500 USD
The throne of DeFi lending still exists, but the foundation beneath the throne needs to undergo a reconstruction or reinforcement.

The interim executive director of the Ethereum Foundation speaks out: What is our mission?
"We are here to strengthen defenses against where Ethereum has already become or may become extractive, comprehensive, or susceptible to cartel or state control, or influenced by tools of surveillance or coercion from authoritarian regimes."

Why does OKX want to start a new company with the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange?
ICE and OKX established OKXICE, symbolizing the relationship between traditional finance and the crypto market is transitioning from "tentative cooperation" to "infrastructure-level integration."

Why Is PAXG Price Different From Gold? 5 Reasons Crypto Traders Should Know
Why is PAXG different from gold? Learn the 5 key reasons PAXG and XAUT prices can trade above or below spot gold, including liquidity, funding rates, futures basis, and weekend trading effects.

WEEX OpenAPI 101: 5 Powerful Modules, AI Trading Tools, and Grab Up to 70% Revenue Opportunities
Learn how WEEX OpenAPI connects traders, developers, AI agents, and trading platforms. Discover WEEX API features, Binance-compatible integration, automated trading workflows, revenue opportunities, and ecosystem possibilities.

Interview with NDV Founder Jason Huang: Popping the AI Bubble and the Myth of Microstrategy, Seeking the Ultimate Ace in the Crypto Market
Exclusive Interview with NDV Founder Jason Huang: MicroStrategy's coin selling triggered a stampede, BTC has fallen into a liquidity squeeze, and the current market has not yet bottomed out, patiently waiting for a "FTX-level" iconic panic event to clear.

Morning Report | Former Ethereum Foundation researcher establishes Ethlabs; EU Parliament Economic Committee passes digital euro regulatory proposal
Overview of Important Market Events on June 23

Dragonfly partner Haseeb: The fastest-growing companies in the future may all be stuck at 149 people
The pricing of large models is actually an "AI tax": it shackles large enterprises with computing power constraints, slows down automation, but turns subscriptions into a subsidy for small teams' innovative dividends. By capping the scale at under 149 people, startups can continuously experiment wit...

How xBubble Breaks the Deadlock in VC's Heavy Investment in the OPC Economy
DAPPOS launched xBubble, using the innovative model of "SOP is business" to solve the challenges of implementing AI Coding, allowing OPCs who do not understand technology to create a real business closed loop with zero threshold.

The encrypted unicorn Blockstream is deeply embroiled in a serious fraud case
As a mining note product aimed at investors, it inherently carries significant risks. This leaves considerable room for further explanation regarding BMN's actual scale, use of funds, sources of income, and governance disclosures.

Morning Report | The South Korean Financial Services Commission plans to expand the regulatory sandbox to include virtual assets; the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, ICE, has reached a partnership with OKX to jointly establish a cryptocu...
Overview of Important Market Events on June 22

Exclusive Interview with Strategy CEO: Putting Aside the Sale of 32 BTC, the 60 Trillion AI Intelligence is the Ultimate Fate of Bitcoin
Strategy CEO responds for the first time to the controversy over the sale of 32 bitcoins: testing internal processes and breaking the "death spiral" rhetoric, maintaining long-term holding faith, and revealing how the 60 trillion AI intelligence will reshape the bitcoin trading landscape.

TRON revitalizes the image of the bull, creating a more approachable brand character
From Logo to BoNiu, TRON further enhances its brand visual assets.
Morning News | The draft amendment to the People's Bank of China Law aims to clarify the legal status of digital renminbi; South Korea will transfer about 40 unregistered virtual asset service providers to law enforcement agencies
Overview of Important Market Events on June 24
The cryptocurrency industry has entered the "Show Me" era: merely relying on vision is no longer enough
The awareness level of the audience in the cryptocurrency industry—including media, institutions, and retail investors—is steadily increasing, and this trend has become a foregone conclusion.
Interpreting the Ethereum Foundation's new structure: Reaffirming self-sovereignty amid institutional trends
The Ethereum Foundation has announced a new five-layer working framework, clarifying the focus of future development and reaffirming its commitment to decentralized core values amidst the wave of institutionalization.
Former SpaceX engineer reconstructs the financial execution system using first principles
Plan Execution Lab completes angel round financing for Singapore family office, with a valuation of 50 million USD.
Tidal Investment: We still have a positive outlook on the AI industry chain, but the reasons have changed
The intense financing by tech giants has triggered a panic of "AI peak," but the soaring capital expenditures of the five major cloud vendors and the bottlenecks in physical infrastructure indicate that the AI investment cycle is far from over; the second half of this grand performance has just begu...
Standard Chartered Bank sings a 50x rhapsody again, aiming for AAVE to reach 3500 USD
The throne of DeFi lending still exists, but the foundation beneath the throne needs to undergo a reconstruction or reinforcement.
Customer Support:@weikecs
Business Cooperation:@weikecs
Quant Trading & MM:bd@weex.com
VIP Program:support@weex.com


