Japan on Thursday said new blanket tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on US imports were "extremely regrettable," adding that the government in Tokyo has urged Washington to rescind the measures.

"It's extremely regrettable that the US government announced its decision to impose reciprocal tariffs even though we have conveyed our concern at various levels and urged [the US] not to take unilateral measures," government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told Japanese journalists.

"We are seriously concerned about whether the tariff measure is consistent with WTO rules and the Japan-US trade agreement," the spokesman added.

Trump on Wednesday announced new blanket tariffs of 10% on most imports to the United States, with higher penalties based on trade deficits for many countries. In Japan's case, these amount to 24%.

According to local media, Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has instructed his ministers to thoroughly examine the possible effects of the new tariffs on the country.

Meanwhile, Trade Minister Yoji Muto told US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick that the US customs package would make it more difficult for Japanese companies to invest in the US market and would harm the world's largest economy.

When asked by the domestic press about the possibility of retaliatory measures, Muto only said that Japan would have to do what is in the national interest without going into specifics.