As US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are scheduled to hold a bilateral summit next week in Canada during the Group of Seven (G7) summit, the two countries held their sixth ministerial-level tariff negotiations in Washington, D.C., on the 13th (local time).
According to NHK and Kyodo News, Japanese negotiation representative Daishiro Akazawa, Minister of Economic Revitalization, met separately with US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and US Trade Secretary Howard Lutnick for negotiations on that day.
US Trade Secretary Katherine Tai, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Japanese Minister of Economic Revitalization Daishiro Akazawa. Yonhap News
After the talks, Minister Akazawa told reporters, "With the G7 summit approaching, this is an important timing," and added, "We had in-depth discussions to realize a mutually beneficial agreement and explored the possibility of reaching a deal."
Regarding the possibility of an agreement on tariffs at the bilateral summit between the two leaders, which is scheduled to take place on June 16-17 during the G7 summit, Akazawa said, "I will refrain from making any predictions." As he left the negotiating venue, Secretary Lutnick described the talks as "excellent."
According to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Akazawa met with Secretary Lutnick for about 70 minutes and with Secretary Besant for about 45 minutes, respectively, discussing trade expansion, non-tariff measures, and economic security cooperation.
Earlier, President Trump and Prime Minister Ishiba held a telephone conversation late on the 13th (Japan time) at the request of the Japanese side and agreed to hold a bilateral meeting during the G7 summit. Prime Minister Ishiba told reporters, "I repeatedly conveyed our position that we demand the elimination of all tariff measures," and emphasized, "Our stance on demanding elimination remains unchanged."
The US-Japan ministerial-level tariff negotiations have been held weekly for four consecutive weeks, but it appears that no agreement has been reached. The Japanese government has consistently demanded a review of the tariff measures.
In contrast, the US has maintained its position since the beginning of the negotiations that only the additional country-specific tariffs?imposed in addition to the uniform 10% reciprocal tariff, with Japan facing a 14% rate?are open for discussion. The US has also reportedly been reluctant to adjust tariffs on specific items such as automobiles, steel, and aluminum.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
