U.S. Tariffs Keep Ishiba on Back Foot During Leaders' Debate; Discontent with Ishiba over Tariff Negotiations, Other Issues Voiced

Yomiuri Shimbun

03-07-2025

During a debate Wednesday ahead of the House of Councillors election, which is just weeks away, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spent much of his time on the defensive over deadlocked tariff negotiations with the United States, as opposition party leaders upped the ante.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda heaped additional pressure on Ishiba by underlining his party's pledge to reduce the consumption tax rate in a move designed to combat soaring consumer prices.
At the start of the party leader debate, which was held at the Japan National Press Club in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, Noda lit the fuse by taking a swipe at the state of tariff negotiations between Tokyo and Washington.
'It looks like the government has been doing something, but the goalposts seem to be moving further and further away,' Noda said.
Ishiba's expression stiffened at this comment. 'Japan is the world's largest investor nation in the United States, and we are the world's largest creator of jobs there,' Ishiba said, raising his voice. 'Our situation is very different from that of other countries.'
U.S. President Donald Trump recently said it would be 'really hard' to reach a deal with Japan during the tariff negotiations and hinted that a levy of 30% to 35% could be slapped on imports from Japan. The issue of U.S. tariffs sparked heated exchanges among the leaders.
Ishiba, who is president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, reiterated that Japan is important to the United States and insisted he would continue to 'protect Japanese national interests until the very end.' However, Ishiba did not mention any concrete proposals for making a breakthrough in the negotiations or touch on the prospects of progress on the issue.
Ishiba also found himself on the back foot during the second half of the debate when an attendee asked how the government would respond if the United States went ahead and imposed tariffs of 30% to 35% on Japanese goods. 'We must ensure [the United States] understands our position,' was all Ishiba could muster as an answer.
A time of 'peril'
Opposition parties had previously refrained from lobbing criticism at the negotiations because they had shared the prime minister's position that the U.S. tariffs presented a 'peril for the nation.' However, Trump's ratcheting up of pressure on Japan has unleashed a growing wave of discontent toward and doubt about the prime minister.
In February, Ishiba became the second world leader to hold a face-to-face summit meeting with Trump after he returned to the White House. Ishiba also held direct talks with Trump in June on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit meeting in Canada, and the two leaders have spoken on the telephone. Ishiba has played up his personal relationship with Trump. However, during the debate, Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura, who is also Osaka governor, suggested that Ishiba had 'failed to build a close relationship' with Trump.
Noda expressed skepticism about Japan's negotiation strategy. 'The government did not precisely limit the scope of the talks,' he said. 'It isn't even understood [on the U.S. side] that Japan is the biggest investor' in the United States. The CDPJ leader also called for Ishiba to break the deadlock through directs talks with Trump. 'It's better to resolve this by going straight to the highest level,' Noda said.
Defense spending
The Trump administration has expressed its view that U.S. allies in Asia, including Japan, need to increase their defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product.
When asked about this issue by a member of the audience, Ishiba denied that Tokyo was being pushed around by Washington. 'There's been no demand for 5% or anything else,' Ishiba said. The scope of any such increase is 'a matter that Japan should decide, and we won't simply go along with it just because another nation tells us to.'
Ishiba also brought up the CDPJ's pledge to 'abolish the unconstitutional parts' of security legislation that allows Japan to partially exercise the right of collective self-defense and that also strengthens cooperation between the Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military. 'Which parts are unconstitutional, and why are they unconstitutional?' Ishiba asked Noda. However, Noda did not specify which clauses of the legislation violated the supreme law. 'We will examine that through hearings and other channels with the Defense Ministry and the U.S. government after we assume the reins of government,' Noda said.
That response provoked a scoff of astonishment from Ishiba. 'If you're going to claim that it's unconstitutional, you need to show us before the election exactly which parts you mean,' Ishiba retorted.