Long-threatened tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump have plunged the country into trade wars abroad — all while on-again, off-again new levies continue to escalate uncertainty.

The head of the global trade watchdog says global free trade is facing a “crisis” as U.S. President Donald Trump disrupts world commerce with his fast-changing tariffs and other policies.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reiterated on Sunday that he will aim for the elimination of all tariffs in trade negotiations with the United States.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has reiterated his call to eliminate all tariffs in ongoing trade negotiations with the United States. In a televised interview on Sunday, Ishiba emphasized the mutual benefits of a zero-tariff agreement,

The Bank of Japan predicted growth of just 0.5 percent, cutting its previous forecast in half, and decided against another hike in interest rates.

Tokyo aims to use technical assistance in shipbuilding as a bargaining chip to ease US tariffs, as Japan faces a 25% tariff on auto exports and a 24% tariff on various other goods. China currently leads global ship construction with a 48.9% market share, followed by South Korea with 28.5% and Japan with 15.6%, according to Japanese government data.

Japan's service-sector sentiment worsened in April on concern over the impact of higher U.S. tariffs, a government survey showed on Monday, a sign uncertainty over trade talks with Washington was beginning to take a toll on the fragile economy.

Sentiment among Japanese merchants sank to the lowest in more than three years, underscoring deepening concerns over the economic outlook at home and abroad as the impact from US tariffs begins to filter into the economy.