"How Can We Tolerate Trump Looking Down on Us?"... Ishiba Raises the Tone of His Remarks

"Even with an ally, we must protect what must be protected"
Remarks seen as intentional ahead of the House of Councillors election

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who has taken a proactive stance in tariff negotiations with the United States, expressed discomfort after being notified by President Donald Trump of high tariffs.

Yonhap News

According to local media including the Asahi Shimbun on July 11, Prime Minister Ishiba, during a campaign rally supporting the House of Councillors election held in front of Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture on July 9, commented on the Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations, saying, "This is a battle for the national interest. How can we tolerate being looked down upon?"

He went on to emphasize, "Even if it is an ally, we must speak up with integrity. We will protect what must be protected."

Prime Minister Ishiba has previously expressed dissatisfaction with the tariff negotiations, stating that "even with an ally, we must say what needs to be said."

This time, he raised the level of his remarks by using unusually informal expressions toward the United States, drawing attention from Japanese media, which described this as a rare occurrence.

On July 10, Prime Minister Ishiba appeared on BS Fuji, a satellite channel affiliated with Fuji TV, and when asked about his related remarks, he referred to the Japan-U.S. relationship in the context of security, saying, "If the idea is that we should simply listen because we are so dependent, that is problematic," and added, "We need to make efforts to become even more independent from the United States."

The Asahi Shimbun interpreted Ishiba's stronger remarks as reflecting anxiety that the difficult Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations could further impact the election, especially given the challenging outlook for the House of Councillors election scheduled for July 20.

The newspaper also reported that a source from the Prime Minister's Office said, "Since the ruling party's prospects in the election are difficult, it seems that Prime Minister Ishiba wants to highlight that Japan is negotiating properly with the United States."

Additionally, it was noted that Prime Minister Ishiba's tone became even stronger after President Trump notified Japan of the 'tariff letter' on July 7 (local time).

Previously, the United States notified Japan of a new reciprocal tariff rate of 25%, which is a 1 percentage point increase from the previous figure of 24% announced in April. The implementation date for the reciprocal tariffs was postponed to August 1, and among the 14 countries that received the 'tariff letter' on the same day, only Japan and Malaysia had their tariff rates increased.