Japan is making every effort to reach an agreement on tariff negotiations, attempting to hold two summit meetings with the United States just this month.
US President Donald Trump is welcoming Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who visited the White House. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News
On June 3, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is seeking to hold two meetings with US President Donald Trump, with about one month left before the deadline for the mutual tariff suspension.
The two leaders have agreed to hold a bilateral summit during the Group of Seven (G7) summit, which will be held in Canada from June 15 to 17. In addition, Japan is considering arranging another meeting during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, which will take place in The Hague, Netherlands, from June 24 to 25.
A Japanese government official stated, "There is the NATO summit after the G7," and added that "a second-stage agreement is also possible."
The two countries are accelerating negotiations, with about one month remaining before the July 9 deadline for the imposition of mutual country-specific tariffs, which the United States postponed for 90 days. Ministerial-level negotiations between the two countries are scheduled to be held for three consecutive weeks.
Japan's chief negotiator, Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa, will travel to the United States from June 5 to 8 for the fifth round of negotiations. On May 30, Minister Akazawa met in Washington, D.C. with US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick for the fourth round of talks.
The United States has reportedly maintained that, in addition to the uniform 10% mutual tariff, only the country-specific additional tariffs (14% for Japan) are negotiable, while adjustments to item-specific tariffs such as those on automobiles, steel, and aluminum are difficult. Japan, on the other hand, insists that all tariffs, including those on automobiles, need to be reviewed.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
