FILE PHOTO - A worker checks steel coils and steel sheets at a distribution warehouse in Urayasu, east of Tokyo April 19, 2012. REUTERS/Toru Hanai/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. metal import tariffs could have a big negative impact on auto and other final goods production in the Kansai western Japan region, a senior Bank of Japan official said on Monday.

“Many companies in the region say (protectionism) is the number one risk. They are worried about the huge uncertainty over the trade outlook,” Yasuhiro Yamada, manager of the BOJ’s Osaka branch, told a briefing.

Yamada also said the BOJ has yet to grasp how much the recent heavy rain in western Japan could affect the region’s economy, but added it will likely weigh on consumer sentiment.