TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The top executive of Fast Retailing Co., the operator of the Uniqlo clothing chain, said Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policies will not last long as they are "irrational."

"I don't think the current tariffs will last long," Fast Retailing Chief Executive Officer Tadashi Yanai said at a press conference for its latest earnings, adding that such measures will isolate the United States from the rest of the world.

"A tariff war like the one we are seeing right now will wreak havoc" particularly on developing countries, Yanai said. "Public opinion around the world will not allow it to go on."

Yanai said his company, which mainly makes its products in Asia, may change production locations in the future, if necessary, though he fell short of elaborating.

The company said the impact of the tariffs on business is expected to be relatively limited, expecting them to dent profits for the second half of the company's fiscal year through August by 2 to 3 percent as it has enough inventory in the U.S. market.

In the first half ended February, net profit rose 19.2 percent from a year earlier to 233.57 billion yen ($1.6 billion). Sales grew 12.0 percent to 1.79 trillion yen.

For the full year through August, the company lifted its net profit forecast to 410 billion yen from an earlier outlook of 385 billion yen. Sales projection was left unchanged at 3.4 trillion yen.