Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering visiting Washington to meet US President Donald Trump before a mid-month summit of the G7 nations as he seeks a trade deal, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported yesterday.
Japanese officials see signs of progress on easing Trump’s tariffs after repeated visits by top tariff negotiator Japanese Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Ryosei Akazawa, and said the US side has shown strong interest in Japan’s proposals, the newspaper said, citing Japanese government officials it did not name.
Akazawa is to return to Washington for more talks late this week, after which a decision would be made on a US trip by Ishiba, it said.
Photo: Reuters
The White House and the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside business hours.
Japan, a major US ally, faces a 24 percent tariff from next month unless it can negotiate a bilateral deal. It is also scrambling to find ways to get Washington to exempt its automakers from 25 percent tariffs on automobiles, Japan’s biggest industry and about 8 percent of all Japanese jobs tied to this sector.
Some Japanese officials hope an agreement can be announced in time for Trump’s birthday on Saturday next week, the newspaper said.
After meeting US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Akazawa on Friday said the two sides had “agreed to accelerate the talks and hold another round ahead of the G7 summit,” to be held from June 15 to 17 in Canada.
However, there would be no deal without US concessions on tariffs, including on autos, he said.
Ishiba has said bilateral negotiations were progressing on trade expansion, nontariff measures and economic security, while Tokyo has mentioned possible increases in its purchases of US military equipment and energy, as well as cooperation on shipbuilding and repairing US warships in Japan.
The world’s fourth-largest economy contracted 0.2 percent in the first quarter of this year, adding to pressure on unpopular Ishiba ahead of upper house elections expected for next month.
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