Japan tariff negotiator arrives in U.S. seeking quick auto tariff cut
Citing a trade agreement that the United States clinched earlier this year with Britain, which took more than 50 days to lower an auto tariff, Akazawa suggested to the press that it would also require some time for Japan to achieve its goal.
Akazawa's latest visit to hold another round of talks with U.S. Cabinet members comes two weeks after he and U.S. President Donald Trump struck a trade deal.
Under the deal, the United States committed to lowering the so-called reciprocal tariff rate on Japanese goods, due to take effect on Thursday, to 15 percent from the threatened 25 percent.
At that time, Trump also agreed to reduce auto tariffs to 15 percent for Japan in exchange for a promise to invest massively in the United States.
However, unlike the country-specific tariff rate, it remains unclear when the Trump administration plans to implement the lowered auto tariffs.
Using a different legal framework than his reciprocal tariff scheme, Trump raised the auto tariff on U.S.-bound vehicles to 27.5 percent from 2.5 percent in April, citing national security concerns.
Upon arriving at an airport near Washington, Akazawa, Japan's minister for economic revitalization, told reporters that the purpose of his visit is to ensure the United States meets the terms of the bilateral agreement.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has faced criticism from opposition lawmakers for not having signed a document with Washington to confirm the trade agreement.
Some critics have suggested there might be misunderstandings, given there are discrepancies in the Japanese and U.S. governments' descriptions of the agreement.
Under the deal, for example, Japanese officials have said imports from Japan already subject to tariffs of 15 percent or higher will not face the 15 percent duty on top.
But an executive order signed last week by Trump modifying reciprocal tariff rates, as well as other formal U.S. documents, made no mention of such a condition.
In the upcoming ninth round of ministerial talks, Akazawa said he will ask Trump's trade team to explain why the documents have no reference to the "no stacking" condition for Japan, unlike the European Union, which struck a similar trade deal with the United States on July 27.
While speaking of Trump during a session of parliament earlier this week in Tokyo, Ishiba said he is "not an ordinary person. He is someone who wants to change the rules."
"It is more difficult to put (an agreement) into practice than to reach an agreement," Ishiba said.
Akazawa is scheduled to stay in the U.S. capital through Friday and may hold talks with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
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