Japan's top negotiator to head to US for another round of tariff talks
Japanese Economic Revitalization Minister Akazawa Ryosei will leave for Washington on Thursday for another round of negotiations on US tariff measures.
Arrangements are underway for Akazawa, who is Japan's top negotiator in the talks, to meet with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and others during the four-day trip. It will be his seventh trip there for tariff negotiations.
Ahead of his departure, Akazawa met with Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa on Wednesday to confirm principles for the negotiations.
Akazawa said he has done various preparations, such as making materials available to try to win over the US negotiators.
The two countries have yet to bridge their gap on auto tariffs and other issues. Ishiba and US President Donald Trump met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit meeting in Canada earlier this month. But they failed to reach an agreement.
Given the situation, Akazawa is expected to once again tell the US side that Japan intends to help cut America's trade deficit through massive investments and by increasing imports, and urge the US to lower tariffs on automobile imports.
The Japanese government aims to agree on a package agreement with the US. The focus is on whether the two sides will be able to move closer together on auto tariff rates.
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