Japan’s about-turn on US ethanol imports seen as pre-empting trade war

In Brazil, Reuters reports that local ethanol producers will take a hit when Japan starts importing US ethanol instead of Brazilian, accusing the country of backsliding on its environmental commitments by choosing corn-based ethanol rather than lower GHG ethanol made from sugarcane. A Brazilian diplomat said the shift in ethanol origins was expected as Japan sought to reduce its trade imbalance with the US rather than become a target of the US president’s trade wars.