Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba aims to advance US tariff talks, eyes outcome at G7 summit
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Sunday said Tokyo aims to advance tariff talks with the US, with the goal of achieving an outcome during the Group of Seven summit next month.
Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, held a third round of Japan-US talks in Washington on Friday.
Speaking to reporters in Kyoto, Ishiba said there has been progress in negotiations, pointing to discussions on trade expansion, non-tariff measures and economic security.
3 President Donald Trump and visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are pictured at the White House in Washington DC, Feb. 7, 2025.
Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
'We will continue to further refine our discussions with the G7 summit in mind,' he said.
Ishiba on Friday held a 45-minute phone call with President Trump to discuss security, diplomacy and tariffs and said they exchanged hope for an in-person meeting at the G7 summit.
On Sunday, Ishiba expressed Japan's willingness to cooperate in shipbuilding. He said the US has shown interest in the possibility of repairing US warships in Japan and that Japan would like to assist.
He said Japan has an advantage in icebreakers, such as those used on Arctic trade routes, which could become an area of cooperation with the US.
In Tokyo, Akazawa on Sunday said the schedule for the next Japan-US talks is being arranged and that he hopes to meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during his next visit to the US.
3 Workers, back, unload vehicles while a car, center front, is moved to another location of the area, where export vehicles are parked at the Daikoku vehicle terminal center in Yokohama, near Tokyo, April 8, 2025.
AP
3 Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, in April.
ZUMAPRESS.com
Speaking to reporters at Haneda Airport following his return from Washington, Akazawa said an agreement will be reached only when all elements are settled as a package, meaning that until everything is agreed upon, nothing is agreed upon.
'Therefore, I won't comment on how far we've progressed,' he said.
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Fast Company
31 minutes ago
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Developers must not only be smart about building them but also focus on 'smart' environments that support more robotic manufacturing, autonomous transportation, sensor-driven energy management, and AI-driven services to businesses and consumers. A high bar In summary, it would be unfair to say that the U.S. significantly lags the G7, or any other group of nations, in the development of its digital economy. The situation is not dire, and the U.S. has not already given away the game. In fact, we see an influx of announcements for data centers and AI investments committing to the U.S. economy. However, due to its sheer size and potential, what might be great for some countries is considered poorly accomplished by our benchmark. The world's largest economic power needs to judge itself solely by the standards of what it can accomplish, comparisons be damned. U.S. government and business leaders must work much harder to deliver on the nation's potential.
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32 minutes ago
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