Ishiba, Trump likely to speak by phone Fri. night: source

The Mainichi

a day ago

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to speak over the telephone on Friday night, a Japanese government source said.
The phone call would come before Japan's top negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is slated to hold another round of tariff talks with U.S. officials in Washington.
It would be the third telephone conversation between Ishiba and Trump in roughly a month, as both nations conduct rounds of ministerial-level tariff negotiations with an eye toward reaching a mutually beneficial deal at soon as possible.
The two previously spoke over the phone on May 29.
As Ishiba and Trump are expected to participate in the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Canada that will begin on Monday, both have been exploring an in-person meeting on the sidelines of the multilateral gathering.
Japan has been urging the United States to rethink its tariff policy that targets imports, ranging from cars and auto parts to steel and aluminum.