Japan and the United States agreed to move forward with negotiations on tariffs at ministerial-level talks in Washington. The chief negotiator of the Japanese delegation said that they aim to find a quick solution to the problem through a new round of talks in April.
US President Donald Trump attended the meeting at the White House, calling the negotiations “great progress”. Japanese Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa told reporters that Trump emphasized the need to prioritize tax talks with Japan. The talks were organized after Trump last week suspended the imposition of “reciprocal” country-by-country tariffs for 90 days in the wake of financial market volatility. This development has also attracted the attention of the US’ other major trading partners. In their meeting earlier this month, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump agreed that the two countries would resume ministerial-level tariff negotiations. In meetings with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Akazawa called for a review of the US tariffs on automobiles, steel and aluminum products, as well as the basic 10% tariff. The Japanese Minister conveyed Prime Minister Ishiba’s message that they would like to finalize an agreement as soon as possible that would strengthen both the Japanese and US economies. Tokyo and Washington agreed to work towards an agreement that could be announced at the leaders’ level.
