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The chief commercial negotiator of Japan will leave Washington without an immediate agreement after meeting Donald Trump in the context of efforts to negotiate the abolition of rigorous prices of the United States.
The American president met Ryosei Akazawa on Wednesday and said on social networks that there had been “great progress!” While Japan sought to become the First great economy To get a stay of Trump's prices, which sparked unrest in the world economy after being unveiled this month.
Japanese officials said that the unforeseen personal meeting with Trump was a possible sign of the president's vivitude to conclude trade agreements with allies, while China is also trying to deepen its commitment to world trade.
Akazawa told journalists after the discussions that the two parties had agreed to hold a second meeting this month and seek rapid resolution. He described the price As “extremely regrettable” and urged the White House to conclude an agreement that would strengthen the two savings.
He said he was “very grateful” that the American president met his delegation, who also had interviews with the American secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and the representative of trade Jamieson Greer.
Bessent wrote on X Thursday that “trade discussions are progressing in a very satisfactory direction” and is impatiently awaiting more talks with “our friends from Japan soon”.
US-Japanese talks are closely examined by governments around the world for clues to Trump's strategy in the climbing of a world trade war.
JapanThe biggest exterior investor in America and the closest ally in Asia has many risks in economic terms and security if relations with Washington Sour.
The United States has already imposed a 25% rate on Japanese cars, steel and aluminum and refused a Succession of exemption requests from Tokyo.
The prospect of an additional 24% levy under the “reciprocal” pricing regime of Trump rushed to Japan companies and led Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to declare a “national crisis”.
Japan recorded a 9-year trade surplus ($ 63 billion) with the United States for the year at the end of March, its finance ministry said on Thursday, down 1.3% compared to the previous year.
Addressing journalists in Tokyo on Thursday morning, Ishiba underlined Japan's potential advantage of its commercial negotiations being an absolute priority for Trump.
“Of course, negotiations will not be easy to move forward,” he warned.
Before joining the talks, Trump reported that he would raise the question of whether Japan should bear a larger financial burden for the reception of the American military forces in the bases of the country.
The American president has repeatedly described the security treaty of allies as “unjust” last week, repeating the assertion that “we pay hundreds of billions of dollars to defend them … they pay nothing”.
Japan pays approximately $ 1.4 billion a year for the cost of supporting the US military presence.
The prospect that the next series of talks would imply that Japan was making higher defense expenses has increased the actions of Japanese defense entrepreneurs, IHI increasing 5%, Kawasaki Heavy Industries winning 6.3% and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries up 1.6% on Thursday.
According to Akazawa, talks did not cover exchange problems and the weak yen, a concern for the American administration.
The discussions on this issue would be led separately between Bessente and the Minister of Finance of Japan Katsunobu Kato, he said.
Akazawa then reiterated the position of Japan that he did not handle the markets to weaken the yen.
