The Iran War Is a Heavy Tax on Our Asian Allies

Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening. Members can share articles with friends & family to bypass the paywall. You’re reading Wanderland, Kevin D. Williamson’s weekly newsletter on politics, policy, and culture. To unlock the full version, become a Dispatch member today. Japan is generally a low-tariff country, which ought to come as no surprise: Japanese people are famously not stupid. Being an island only very lightly blessed with domestic natural resources other than its hardworking and productive people, Japan has to import virtually all of its fuel (both for powering vehicles and for generating electricity), the majority of its food, and hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of industrial inputs, machinery, electronics, and pharmaceuticals. Kevin D. Williamson is national correspondent at The Dispatch and is based in Virginia. Prior to joining the company in 2022, he spent 15 years as a writer and editor at National Review, worked as the theater critic at the New Criterion, and had a long career in local newspapers. He is also a writer in residence at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. When Kevin is not reporting on the world outside Washington for his Wanderland newsletter, you can find him at the rifle range or reading a book about literally almost anything other than politics. Newsletter selected Click sign up to start receiving your newsletters. More We Think You’d Like Newsletter selected Click sign up to start receiving your newsletters.