The quoted Japanese executive is betting that the next administration will probably do it's best to undo these actions that Trump is taking. That's the cost of Trump (and others) acting unilaterally rather than building consensus. If he had chosen to compromise on other things with his opponents and gotten them on board with this, this trade policy would have been taken seriously and had its intended effect. Instead Trump is left with nothing.

Although it's in vogue to hate on Biden for being old, out of touch, not progressive enough etc., this speaks to the effectiveness of his core political strategy - reaching across the aisle and building consensus. The system might not usually reward such behaviour, but it often leads to solutions that last.