Japan eyes tariff talks in U.S. next week before Aug. 1 deadline
"I want to continue working to find common ground that both sides can agree on," Akazawa told reporters at the World Exposition in Osaka where he was accompanying U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, his counterpart in the talks.
The visit to the United States for tariff talks would be Akazawa's first in three weeks and would come in the aftermath of Japan's House of Councillors election on Sunday, in which the ruling bloc could lose its majority amid dissatisfaction over rising living costs.
Akazawa said he and Bessent had "strengthened our trust" during the latter's visit as head of a presidential delegation to the expo. While no formal tariff talks took place, Akazawa declined to say whether they exchanged views on the levies.
The comments came a day after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Bessent told him he believes the two sides can reach a "good" deal during a roughly 30-minute meeting at the premier's office.
Japan has struggled to gain concessions from the United States on tariffs, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying earlier this week that reaching an agreement by the Aug. 1 deadline may be difficult.
After seven visits to the United States by Akazawa and failure to reach a deal by a mid-June meeting between Trump and Ishiba at the Group of Seven summit, Washington notified Tokyo of a planned 25 percent tariff rate by letter in early July.
Among tariff measures already implemented by Trump and proving a sticking point in bilaterial negotiations is the 25 percent levy on imports of vehicles to the United States. It is seen as a serious blow to the Japanese economy's growth-driving auto sector.
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