Ishiba: Cooperation in Shipbuilding to Be Focal Point in Tariff Talks; Progress Seemingly Lacking on Auto Tariffs
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, on Sunday.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday he considers cooperation with the United States in the shipbuilding industry, such as on repairing U.S. military vessels and the joint development of icebreakers, to be a focal point in the Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations.
Ryosei Akazawa, economic revitalization minister and Japan's top tariff negotiator, returned to Japan on Sunday after taking part in the third round of ministerial-level talks in the United States and reported the talks' progress to Ishiba and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Ishiba that same day spoke to reporters about the third round of talks.
'There were specific discussions with some visible progress,' Ishiba said in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture. 'We'll continue to discuss more details [with the U.S. side] with the Group of Seven Summit [in June] in mind.'
In the Friday talks, Akazawa suggested a project to revitalize the shipbuilding industry in the United States through Japan-U.S. cooperation.
'The United States is interested in it,' Ishiba said. 'They wonder if Japan can repair U.S. miliary vessels, and we'd like to offer support.'
The United States considers expanding its presence in the Arctic to be important. 'Japan has a technological advantage in building icebreakers, so it will be a part of the bilateral cooperation,' Ishiba said.
Nippon Steel Corp.'s acquisition of U.S. Steel Corp. was also discussed during the talks, according to government sources.
'I'd like to wait for an official announcement by the U.S. government,' Ishiba said. Trump has indicated his intention to approve a partnership between U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel.
As for the additional tariffs on automobiles, the key topic for Japan, 'The situation is that [the United States] is saying it will neither reduce the tariffs nor increase them,' a senior government official said, indicating that no progress on the issue was made during the Friday talks.
Akazawa will fly to the United States again this weekend to participate in the fourth round of talks with his U.S. counterparts, with U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent expected to be in attendance.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NHK
2 hours ago
- NHK
Retired Japan, US officers join simulation in Taiwan on possible attack by China
Former Japanese Self-Defense Forces and US military officers have taken part in a simulation to respond to possible attack by China on Taiwan. Private-sector groups in Taiwan organized the event in Taipei on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was attended by former officers from Taiwan and 17 retired officers from Japan and the US. They included retired General Iwasaki Shigeru, former chief of staff of the SDF Joint Staff, and retired Admiral Michael Mullen, former chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff. The simulation -- assuming that China were to launch an armed attack on Taiwan in 2030 -- was held behind closed doors. The participants discussed possible moves by China and responses by Taiwan, the US and Japan. At a news conference on Wednesday they said it is important to boost Taiwan's defense capabilities, including employing "asymmetric" defense using cheap, mobile weapons. They also recommended strengthening deterrence against China through cooperation among countries in the Indo-Pacific region. Takei Tomohisa, a senior fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and a retired admiral in the Maritime Self-Defense Force, said the most important thing for Japan to do is improve its defense capabilities and deterrent power while maintaining lines of communication with Taiwan.
Japan Times
8 hours ago
- Japan Times
Eased language requirement proposed for non-Japanese bus and taxi drivers
The government, at an expert panel meeting on Wednesday, proposed easing the Japanese language proficiency requirement for non-Japanese drivers working in the country, aiming to address the serious labor shortages in the bus and taxi industry. The panel met at the Justice Ministry to discuss the country's foreign worker programs. Japan accepts foreign bus and taxi drivers under the Type 1 category of its residency status system for foreign nationals with certain skill levels. With Type 1 status, they are allowed to work in Japan for up to five years. Bus and taxi drivers are required to have higher Japanese language proficiency than in other occupations, as they need to offer customer services and handle emergency situations. The government decided to ease the language requirement for bus and taxi drivers after the number of successful applicants for a Type 1 residency evaluation test for those jobs stood at zero as of the end of April this year. Currently, foreign nationals wanting to work as bus or taxi drivers in Japan are required to have the N3 level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, which shows an ability to understand daily conversations to some extent and is the third highest of the five-level system. The government is looking at lowering the requirement by one notch to the N4 level. Drivers with the N4 Japanese language level will be required to be accompanied by a Japanese-language helper when on duty and will be encouraged to reach the N3 proficiency level as soon as possible. At the meeting, the government also proposed adding the field of logistics warehouses, the sector providing bed sheets and other items to hotels and hospitals, and the industry related to waste disposals to the list of industries eligible for the Type 1 program and a new skill development program for foreign workers. The new program will be introduced in April 2027, replacing the country's technical intern program. It aims to train foreign nationals to be eligible for Type 1 status in three years.
8 hours ago
Ishiba Reluctant to Cut Consumption Tax
News from Japan Politics Jun 11, 2025 22:10 (JST) Tokyo, June 11 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba showed reluctance to lower the consumption tax, during a parliamentary debate with leaders of opposition parties Wednesday. "I can't agree" to opposition demands for cutting the consumption tax, Ishiba said. Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, asked Ishiba for support for his party's proposal for tentatively cutting the consumption tax rate for food to zero. But Ishiba pointed out that consumption tax revenues serve as a financial source of social security. "I don't think we should take the important consumption tax that lightly." He also took a cautious stance on lowering the gasoline tax, saying that those who propose it "need to present alternative financial resources." [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
