Japan, US still far from tariff deal after Ishiba-Trump summit
BANFF, Canada (Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump made little headway in bridging gaps over tariffs at their summit on Monday, casting doubt on the prospect of a quick yet "mutually beneficial" package deal that can protect Japan's all-important auto sector.
After sitting down with Trump for 30 minutes in Canada's Rockies, Ishiba said any potential deal should serve the interests of both Japan and the United States, and that bilateral ministerial talks will continue to seek such an agreement.
The meeting, held on the fringes of the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Kananaskis, gave a glimpse into the difficulty faced by the longtime allies in meeting halfway as Trump's imposition of tariffs on everything from cars and auto parts to steel and aluminum has raised concerns about the export-driven Japanese economy.
While the United States has given Japan and other countries a 90-day reprieve from what it calls "reciprocal" tariffs, Ishiba did not say whether he and Trump discussed the possibility of an extension, after Washington hinted that the pause can be extended for trading partners engaged in negotiations in "good faith."
"We have yet to reach a deal as a package because we remain apart over certain aspects," Ishiba told reporters after what he described as "candid" discussions with Trump.
Among the hiked import duties, a 25 percent tariff on autos is seen as a sticking point. The auto sector forms the backbone of the Japanese economy and the United States is a critical market for the likes of Toyota Motor Corp.
Those Japanese automakers, however, have been ramping up investment and production in the United States over the years, a point that the Japanese side has been seeking to get across to Trump.
Through rounds of ministerial negotiations, Japan has been urging the United States to rethink the tariff policy, implemented to rectify what Trump sees as imbalanced trade.
Trump told reporters after his second face-to-face summit with Ishiba that it went "well," without elaborating.
Trump, whose use of tariffs symbolizes his "America First" agenda, had indicated there could be a "few new trade deals" in the offing. But he did not say whether they could include one with Japan.
In a show of the importance both leaders attach to bilateral relations, Ishiba and Trump spoke by phone four times since their first meeting as tariff negotiations led by their ministers continued.
Trump, who is known for his unpredictability, effectively approved the takeover of United States Steel Corp. by Nippon Steel Corp. in a dramatic turn of events just days before the leaders were to meet at the two-day G7 gathering in Kananaskis.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
17 minutes ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Military Parade in U.S. Capital: President's Appropriation of the Military is Unacceptable
Amid unceasing warfare in Ukraine and the Middle East, U.S. President Donald Trump held a military parade in the U.S. capital following the deployment of the military to deal with protests inside the country. One cannot help but sense danger in Trump's approach of demonstrating power to the people of his country. On June 14, the Trump administration held a military parade in Washington to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army. It was Trump's 79th birthday on the day. Vice President JD Vance congratulated the president on his birthday in a speech, and the crowd sang 'Happy Birthday.' At the very least, Trump should have avoided scheduling the event in a way that could be seen as mixing public and private matters. Authoritarian countries such as Russia, China and North Korea regularly hold military parades to demonstrate their military power and the unifying power of their political leaders. On the other hand, the United States has not held a large-scale military parade in its capital since 1991, following the end of the Gulf War. This is only because the U.S. military, as the military of a democratic country, is required to maintain a high level of political neutrality, which past administrations have also emphasized. In contrast, Trump expressed a desire to hold a military parade in his first administration, but he did not do so due to opposition from then Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and other officials. His second administration is solidly composed of loyalists, with no senior military officials or experts to put the brakes on Trump's measures. The parade is estimated to have cost up to $45 million (about ¥6.5 billion). Is this not inconsistent with the administration's claim that it is optimizing administrative efficiency? By mobilizing the military and emphasizing that he will not hesitate to use force, Trump may be trying to project an image of a strong leader and solidify the Republican Party's base of support. When protests broke out in Los Angeles, Calif., following a roundup of illegal immigrants, Trump dispatched the National Guard without the approval of the local state governor. He also deployed U.S. Marines, who are prohibited in principle from enforcing the law in the country. If it were the case that Trump was attempting to mobilize the military at will in order to suppress opposing opinions within the country and oust his political opponents, including Democratic state governors, he would not be able to evade the accusation that he appropriated the military. On the day of the military parade, protests against Trump with the slogan 'No Kings' were held in about 2,000 locations across the country. Meanwhile, in the Midwestern state of Minnesota, two Democratic state legislators and others were shot, and the demonstrations were canceled. In the United States, social unrest and divisions are deepening, and violence is casting a dark shadow over the nation. Under such circumstances, the president must strictly refrain from using the military for political purposes. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 17, 2025)
The Mainichi
an hour ago
- The Mainichi
Israel orders 300,000 people in Tehran to evacuate while Trump issues ominous warning
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) -- Israel warned hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate the middle of Iran's capital as Israel's air campaign on Tehran appeared to broaden on the fourth day of an intensifying conflict. An Iranian television anchor fled her studio during a live broadcast as bombs fell on the headquarters of the country's state-run TV station. U.S. President Donald Trump posted an ominous message on his social media site later Monday calling for the immediate evacuation of Tehran. "IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON," Trump wrote, adding that "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on social media shortly after Trump's post that he was returning from the G7 summit in Canada a day early due to the intensifying conflict between. Israel says strikes have set back nuclear program Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli strikes have set Iran's nuclear program back a "very, very long time," and told reporters he is in daily touch with Trump. "The regime is very weak," he added. Israel says its sweeping assault on Iran's top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists, is necessary to prevent its longtime adversary from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon. The strikes have killed at least 224 people since Friday. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed that Tehran has not had an organized effort to pursue a nuclear weapon since 2003. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that the country has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs should it choose to do so. Iran has retaliated by launching more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 injured. The back-and-forth has raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval. Israel's military issues evacuation warning affecting up to 330,000 people Earlier Monday, Israel's military issued an evacuation warning to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that houses the country's state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals, including one owned by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The city, one of the region's largest, is home to around 9.5 million people. Israel's military has issued similar evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Gaza and Lebanon ahead of strikes. State-run television abruptly stopped a live broadcast after the station was hit, according to Iran's state-run news agency. While on the air, an Iranian state television reporter said the studio was filling with dust after "the sound of aggression against the homeland." Suddenly, an explosion occurred, cutting the screen behind her as she hurried off camera. The broadcast quickly switched to prerecorded programs. The station later said its building was hit by four bombs. An anchor said on air that a few colleagues had been hurt, but their families should not be worried. The network said its live programs were transferred to another studio. Israel claims 'full aerial superiority' over Tehran Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Monday that his country's forces had "achieved full aerial superiority over Tehran's skies." The military said it destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers in central Iran, a third of Iran's total, as well as two F-14 planes that Iran used to target Israeli aircraft and multiple launchers just before they launched ballistic missiles towards Israel. Israeli military officials also said fighter jets had struck 10 command centers in Tehran belonging to Iran's Quds Force, an elite arm of its Revolutionary Guard that conducts military and intelligence operations outside Iran. The Israeli strikes "amount to a deep and comprehensive blow to the Iranian threat," Defrin said. One missile fell near the American consulate in Tel Aviv, with its blast waves causing minor damage, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee said on X. He added that no American personnel were injured. Explosions rock Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva and Haifa oil refinery Powerful explosions rocked Tel Aviv shortly before dawn Monday, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky over the coastal city. Authorities in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva said Iranian missiles hit a residential building there, charring concrete walls, shattering windows and ripping the walls off multiple apartments. Iranian missiles also hit an oil refinery in the northern city of Haifa for the second night in a row. The early morning strike killed three workers, ignited a significant fire and damaged a building, Israel's fire and rescue services said. The workers were sheltering in the building's safe room when the impact caused a stairwell to collapse, trapping them inside. Firefighters rushed to extinguish the fire and rescue them, but the three died before rescuers could reach them. No sign of conflict letting up Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, appeared to make a veiled outreach Monday for the U.S. to step in and negotiate an end to hostilities between Israel and Iran. In a post on X, Araghchi wrote that if Trump is "genuine about diplomacy and interested in stopping this war, next steps are consequential." "It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu," Iran's top diplomat wrote. "That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy." The message to Washington was sent as the latest talks between the U.S. and Iran were canceled over the weekend after Israel targeted key military and political officials in Tehran. On Sunday, Araghchi said that Iran will stop its strikes if Israel does the same. The conflict has also forced most countries in the Middle East to close their airspace. Dozens of airports have stopped all flights or severely reduced operations, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded and others unable to flee the conflict or travel home. Health authorities reported that 1,277 people were wounded in Iran. Iranians also reported fuel rationing. Rights groups such as the Washington-based Iranian advocacy group Human Rights Activists have suggested that the Iranian government's death toll is a significant undercount. The group says it has documented more than 400 people killed, among them 197 civilians. Ahead of Israel's initial attack, its Mossad spy agency positioned explosive drones and precision weapons inside Iran. Since then, Iran has reportedly detained several people and hanged one on suspicion of espionage.
an hour ago
U.S. Urged to Withdraw High Tariff Measures at G-7 Summit
Kananaskis, Canada, June 16 (Jiji Press)--The United States on Monday faced calls for withdrawing at an early date the high tariff policy introduced by the administration of President Donald Trump, at a two-day Group of Seven summit that started the same day in Kananaskis, western Canada. Trump is poised to return home later in the day, without attending the second-day session of the summit among the seven major countries, citing a need to deal with escalating tensions in the Middle East. On the first day, participants, apparently with the high U.S. tariffs in mind, exchanged opinions on maintaining and boosting the multilateral free trade system as part of their discussions on the global economy, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. The G-7 leaders shared the view that they, through candid discussions, need to spearhead the world's efforts to tackle a host of challenges. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stressed that the G-7 countries--Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States--should unite and lead the international community to build a rules-based free and fair economic order. Over the Middle East, the leaders discussed measures to prevent a full-scale military clash between Israel and Iran and adopted a joint statement, which said, "We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza." [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
