
No tariff deal with US as differences remain: Japan PM
BANFF, Canada (Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday differences remain with the United States over tariffs, stressing the need for a "package" deal that can protect Japan's national interests.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Canada, Ishiba refrained from giving a specific time frame for a possible bilateral deal.
He also said that the auto sector is a "huge part" of Japan's national interests that should be protected, with the United States having imposed higher tariffs on cars and auto parts among other items.

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32 minutes ago
- Japan Today
Trump to leave G7 summit early; says removing Russia from group was a mistake
From left, European Council President Antonio Costa; Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba; Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; French President Emmanuel Macron; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney; U.S. President Donald Trump; British Prime Minister Keir Starmer; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen pose for a photo during the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, on Monday. By John Irish, Jarrett Renshaw and Andreas Rinke U.S. President Donald Trump is leaving the Group of Seven summit in Canada a day early due to the situation in the Middle East, the White House said on Monday. Trump has requested that the national security council be prepared in the situation room, the co-host of Fox News' "FOX & Friends" program, Lawrence Jones, said on X. The G7 has struggled to find unity over conflicts in Ukraine and between Israel and Iran as Trump overtly expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and has imposed tariffs on many of the allies present. Trump had earlier urged everyone to immediately evacuate Tehran, and reiterated that Iran should have signed a nuclear deal with the United States. "Much was accomplished, but because of what's going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X. French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump's departure was positive, given the objective to get a ceasefire in the Middle East. G7 leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the U.S., along with the European Union, had convened in the resort area of Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies until Tuesday. Speaking alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier, Trump said the former Group of Eight had been wrong to kick out Russia in 2014 after it annexed Crimea. "This was a big mistake," Trump said, adding he believed Russia would not have invaded Ukraine in 2022 had Putin not been ejected. "Putin speaks to me. He doesn't speak to anybody else ... he's not a happy person about it. I can tell you that he basically doesn't even speak to the people that threw him out, and I agree with him," Trump said. Though Trump stopped short of saying Russia should be reinstated in the group, his comments had raised doubts about how much Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy can achieve when he is schedule to meet the leaders on Tuesday. "It was a rough start," said Josh Lipsky, a former senior IMF official who now chairs the international economics department at the Atlantic Council. European nations had wanted to persuade Trump to back tougher sanctions on Moscow. Zelenskyy said he had planned to discuss new weapons purchases for Ukraine with Trump. European officials said they hoped to use Tuesday's meeting with Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and next week's NATO summit to convince Trump to toughen his stance. In another early sign the group of democracies lacked unity, a U.S. official said Trump would not sign a draft statement calling for de-escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict. Canada has abandoned any effort to adopt a comprehensive communique to avert a repeat of the 2018 summit in Quebec, when Trump instructed the U.S. delegation to withdraw its approval of the final communique after leaving. Leaders have prepared several draft documents seen by Reuters, including on migration, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals. None of them have been approved by the United States, however, according to sources briefed on the documents. Without Trump, it is unclear if there will be any declarations, a European diplomat said. Carney invited non-G7 members Mexico, India, Australia, South Africa, South Korea and Brazil, as well as Ukraine. TARIFFS Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday they had finalized a trade deal reached between the two allies last month, making Britain the first country to agree to a deal for lower U.S. tariffs. Carney said in a statement he had agreed with Trump that their two nations should try to wrap up a new economic and security deal within 30 days. Trump said a new economic deal with host Canada was possible but stressed tariffs had to play a role, a position the Canadian government strongly opposes. "Our position is that we should have no tariffs on Canadian exports to the United States," said Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to Washington. Talks on Monday centered around the economy, advancing trade deals, and China. Several leaders arrived in Canada, a country Trump has repeatedly threatened to annex as the 51st U.S. state, in hopes of making progress on trade negotiations with the United States. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he hoped there would be steps towards a solution to a tariff dispute with the United States, even if a solution itself could not be reached at the summit. © Thomson Reuters 2025.

an hour ago
Japanese, German Leaders Discuss U.S. Tariffs
News from Japan Politics Jun 17, 2025 12:57 (JST) Kananaskis, Canada, June 16 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Kananaskis, western Canada, Monday, discussing how to deal with the high tariff policy of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. In the talks, held for about 35 minutes, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ties in the areas of national and economic security. Ishiba noted that cooperation among the Group of Seven major countries is becoming even more important as the international situation is increasingly severe. Merz agreed. They also exchanged opinions on regional situations, including over North Korea and Ukraine. The Ishiba-Merz meeting took place on the sidelines of the two-day G-7 summit in Kananaskis through Tuesday. The G-7 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press

2 hours ago
Japan Opposition DPFP Pledges Tax Cuts to Boost Take-Home Pay
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