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U.S. Appeals Court: Most 2025 Tariff Orders Are Illegal, But Will Stay in Effect Until October

A U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday that the majority of U.S. President Donald Trump's executive orders on import tariff taxes this year are illegal. However, the tariffs will remain in place until October 14 to provide a window for the administration to file a further appeal with the Supreme Court.

Separately, anime and manga goods service Amiami announced on Thursday it will hold packages destined for the U.S., until it can arrange alternate non-postal shipping options after Japan Post suspended most package deliveries to the country. Amiami will hold all ordered goods, including paid and non-paid items, until alternate shipping can be arranged. Those wishing to cancel their orders can contact the company's customer support.

The appeals court's ruling comes as the executive order to accelerate the end of "de minimis exemptions" on Friday went into effect. Postal bodies of several countries have already reacted to the change, by suspending packages slated for U.S. delivery.

Good Smile Company announced on Tuesday that it will temporarily suspend shipments from its store to the U.S. starting on Thursday.

On July 30, the U.S. administration issued an executive order to end "de minimis exemptions,” which is a provision exempting duties and formal entry requirements for imports valued under US$800, nearly two years early on August 29. The Japan Post cites a lack of clarity for postal services and bodies regarding procedures following this transition.

The postal service previously suspended deliveries by EMS, as well as delivery of parcels, small packets, or printed matter by air, to the United States in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background on New U.S. Tariffs

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to adjust current global tariffs and increase them for multiple countries on August 1. The new tariffs took effect on August 7.

Trump announced on April 2 a baseline tariff of 10% on global imports to the United States would start on April 5. He also announced self-described "reciprocal" tariffs would start against many countries on April 9. Vietnam and Cambodia would receive some of the highest additional tariff rates at 46% and 49%, respectively, while Japan and China would receive 24% and 34%, respectively. The president then suspended tariffs for almost all countries except China, which he continued raising to an effective 145% (including tariffs levied prior to the current administration) over a number of days, with China responding with an escalation of its own tariffs to the United States that reached 125%. On May 12, the U.S. and China agreed to lower tariffs for 90 days. The U.S. cut the effective tariff rate on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, and China cut the tariff rate on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%.

The White House posted a list of products exempted from the additional tariffs after the April 2 announcement. That list includes "printed books, brochures, leaflets and similar printed matter," which indicates books such as manga and other comic books physically printed in Asia would be exempted from the additional tariffs. The U.S. administration has since clarified other goods would be excluded from these particular tariffs, including steel and aluminum products, cars and car products, certain critical resources, smartphones, computers, and various electronic parts. The new U.S. tariffs also affect toys, figures, and other merchandise produced in China, Vietnam, Japan, and elsewhere in Asia.

The U.S. administration noted that it can raise tariffs further or lower them, depending on how countries respond. The current situation on the U.S.'s new protectionist tariff policy is extremely fluid and volatile, and has seen changes and clarifications almost every day.

Sources: Japan Times (Reuters), Amiami