Ishiba and Trump speak as Akazawa heads to Washington

Japan Times

23-05-2025

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday morning in a call initiated by the president, offering hope of a breakthrough in tariff negotiations between Japan and the United States.
It was the second phone call between the two leaders since early April .
During the 45-minute conversation, the leaders exchanged views on the tariff negotiations, cooperation on economic security and the U.S. president's recent trip to the Middle East, Ishiba told reporters after the call.
The call was proposed by Trump, Ishiba said. While they did not go into a point-by-point discussion of the tariff negotiations during the call, Ishiba said he felt they reaffirmed common ground on a number of issues.
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'I believe what was confirmed throughout the call was the intention on both sides to work hard and build a win-win relationship," Ishiba said. 'I truly felt that we shared many common understandings and reaffirmed our shared awareness on a variety of issues.'
The call was made while Japan's chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, was en route to Washington to attend the third round of high-level tariff talks with his American counterparts. At the previous meeting earlier in May , the two sides agreed to hold high-level talks 'intensively' from mid-May onward.
'I expressed hopes that these talks will be productive, and President Trump agreed with that sentiment,' Ishiba said, adding that they both look forward to an in-person meeting next month, which is set to take place during the Group of Seven meetings in Canada.
Chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa speaks to reporters at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Friday before flying to Washington for a third round of high-level tariff talks with his U.S. counterparts. |
Jiji
News reports suggest that the two sides are eyeing the G7 meeting as a likely setting to announce a framework trade deal. After the call, Ishiba said he might also visit the U.S. at some point depending on the circumstances, although no specific schedule has been set yet.
'Our position — that we have consistently called for the removal of the tariff measures — remains unchanged,' Ishiba told reporters after the call.
The clock is ticking for Akazawa, who arguably has the toughest job in Japan as he tries to get the United States to agree to a trade ceasefire. A 24% 'reciprocal tariff' on almost all Japanese exports to the U.S. will kick in again if no agreement is reached by early July.
Much hinges upon his ability to persuade Washington to bring the 25% levies on automobiles and auto parts into the negotiations. While the U.S. has only shown willingness to negotiate the higher-rate 'reciprocal' tariffs, Japan has resolutely rejected the idea of a deal that does not include all the levies in place.
Japan's position remains unchanged in calling for the U.S. to review the tariff measures, Akazawa told reporters before boarding the plane on Friday morning. He had said earlier this week that when Japan asks the U.S. to review the tariffs, it wants the U.S. to eliminate them .
'An agreement cannot be reached unless it is mutually satisfactory — a true win-win,' Akazawa told reporters at Haneda Airport in Tokyo before boarding the plane on Friday morning. 'We must listen carefully to the various proposals and ideas from the U.S. side, and work to find common ground between our respective positions.'