RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The U.S. administration has launched an expansive trade investigation into Indonesia, Japan, and more than a dozen other countries, citing concerns that foreign industrial overcapacity is distorting global markets. The move comes amid ongoing debates over tariffs and trade fairness, signaling heightened scrutiny of international manufacturing practices.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer explained that the investigation aims to uncover “a series of unfair trade practices related to excess production and manufacturing capacity,” which could justify the imposition of new import tariffs.

"Key trading partners appear to have built production capacity largely disconnected from domestic or global demand," Greer said, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

Countries under review under Section 301 of the 1974 U.S. Trade Act include Indonesia, Japan, the European Union, China, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The investigation follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in February that overturned several Trump-era tariffs, prompting the administration to introduce a temporary 10 percent global tariff under a separate legal authority. This tariff is set to expire in 150 days unless Congress approves an extension.

Greer noted the administration intends to complete the Section 301 inquiry quickly, examining trade surpluses with the U.S., subsidies, market barriers, and domestic wages, to determine whether new tariffs are warranted. Consultations with the governments of all affected countries have already been requested.

The investigation could extend beyond manufacturing, targeting sectors such as digital services, pharmaceuticals, rice, and seafood. Meanwhile, the U.S. will also begin a separate probe into 60 countries to ensure products imported into the U.S. are not produced using forced labor.

Japan, which had faced a 15 percent import tariff before the Supreme Court ruling, requested during a recent meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that tariff levels not exceed previously agreed limits. ***