Japan Device Maker Picks Vietnam to Avoid US Tariffs on China

Japanese electronics maker Sourcenext Corp. plans to set up a new manufacturing base in Vietnam, avoiding the US’s punishing tariffs on China, the company announced Wednesday.

Tokyo-based Sourcenext manufactures its pocket-sized translation device Pocketalk in Shenzhen, China. Its new production base in Vietnam is designed to “minimize the impact of tariff measures and maintain appropriate pricing,” the company said in a press release.

The announcement came half an hour before the US launched broad tariffs of 104% on China-made imports and 46% on those from Vietnam — still among the highest in the region. But given that Vietnam and US ...