Akazawa to visit Washington next week for tariff talks
Japanese chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said Saturday that he plans to visit Washington at the beginning of next week at the earliest for bilateral tariff negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
He is aiming to advance the negotiations so as to avoid the United States' imposition of a 25 pct reciprocal tariff on all imports from Japan, which is due to come into effect on Aug. 1 as announced by Trump.
Akazawa, also the economic revitalisation minister, revealed his travel plan to reporters after attending a ceremony related to the United States' "national day" event at the World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka on Saturday and meeting the visiting US presidential delegation, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The Japanese minister said that there were no tariff discussions at the day's ceremony and luncheon.
The Japan-US negotiations apparently have stagnated, partly due to Japan holding an election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the country's parliament, on Sunday.
With the imposition date of the reciprocal tariff looming, Akazawa expressed his view that it was time for the two countries' ministers concerned to have talks in person on the matter.
Delivering a speech at the ceremony, Bessent said, "The US-Japan alliance, celebrating its 65th year, is a cornerstone of peace, stability and prosperity." He also said, "Japan is America's most important ally in the Pacific region."
Also at the ceremony, Akazawa expressed his hope to start a new chapter of Japan-US relations. Neither of them mentioned tariff negotiations.
On Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with Bessent at the prime minister's office in Tokyo. According to Ishiba, when he asked Bessent to continue to actively engage in tariff talks with Akazawa, the secretary responded that the two countries would reach a good agreement.
Meanwhile, Bessent said on social media on Friday night, "A good deal is more important than a rushed deal."
Trump said Wednesday that his administration will stick with the letter sent to Japan to notify of the imposition of the 25 pct reciprocal tariff on Japanese goods, suggesting that the course of the bilateral negotiations is uncertain.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
