The administration of US President Donald Trump has begun levying 25-percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports as scheduled.



The levies kicked in at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, Eastern time.



Trump last month signed executive orders to introduce the tariffs. He has said the move aims to attract manufacturers back to the US and create jobs.



Trump says that all trading partners are subject to the tariffs.



This is in contrast to his first term in the White House when some countries were exempted from similar levies. A duty-free quota at that time was granted to steel imports from Japan.



Japan's trade minister Muto Yoji requested an exemption from the new levies when he met US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Monday. But he didn't get a positive response.



US industries ranging from aerospace to energy use imported steel and aluminum products. The levies are expected to add to their production costs.



The European Union announced countermeasures on Wednesday. It says they apply to US exports worth up to 26 billion euros, or around 28 billion dollars.



It says from April it will re-impose tariffs on US motorcycles and other items that had been applied in Trump's first term.



The EU says it will introduce a package of new countermeasures on goods including agricultural products. It says this will come into force by mid-April.