U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer met March 10 with top EU and Japanese officials who are pushing back against new U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs that have unleashed fears of a broader trade war, The Washington Post reported. On March 8, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on foreign aluminum, but he exempted Canada and Mexico. The European Union and Japan also want to be exempted from the tariffs, which come into force in two weeks. If not, the European Union has threatened retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products. Japan has warned of the dangers of tit-for-tat measures.