Tokyo - Saba:
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on Thursday, following talks in Washington with his tariff envoy, that negotiations to reach a trade agreement between his country and the United States "will not be easy."
"Of course, the upcoming talks will not be easy, but President (Donald) Trump has expressed his desire to give negotiations with Japan the highest priority," Ishiba said in Tokyo. "We recognize that this round of talks has laid the foundations for the next steps, and we appreciate that."
He added, "Of course, there is a gap between Japan and the United States."
The Japanese Prime Minister's statement came after his tariff envoy to the United States, Ryusei Akazawa, announced, following a first round of negotiations in Washington that yielded no immediate results, that the US administration wants to conclude a trade agreement with Tokyo before the end of the current 90-day grace period.
Following the first round of negotiations in Washington, Japan's Minister of Economic Revitalization, Akazawa, said, "I understand the US's desire to conclude an agreement within 90 days. For our part, we want to do so as soon as possible, but these are bilateral negotiations, and it is not clear how the talks will progress."
The Japanese minister declined to elaborate on the details of his talks in Washington, saying only that he informed the US administration that the tariffs imposed on his country were "extremely regrettable."
He said, "After explaining Japan's views on the impact of tariffs on Japanese industry and the expansion of investment and employment in both Japan and the United States, I urgently requested the United States to review the series of tariff measures."
He added that both sides want to reach an agreement "as soon as possible," which Trump and Ishiba are expected to announce at that time.
He continued, "Second, we will work so that the next talks can take place within this month. Third, we will continue to hold talks at the working-level in addition to the ministerial level."
The Japanese minister stressed that "based on the results of these discussions, we will continue to work together as a government with the highest priority and full effort."
The Japanese envoy was scheduled to meet only with US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and US Trade Representative Jameson Greer, but Trump announced at the last minute his desire to participate in the meeting.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social account, "Japan is coming today to negotiate tariffs, the cost of (US) military support, and trade fairness. I will be attending the meeting."
Media reports indicated that Trump wants Japan, in addition to increasing its imports of US goods, to increase its purchases of US defense equipment and cooperate with the United States to strengthen the yen against the dollar.
Later, the US president posted on his social media account, saying, "Great honor to have just met with the Japanese trade delegation. Big progress!"
Before meeting with the Japanese delegation, Trump expressed his hope that "something good (great!) will be achieved for Japan and the United States!" For his part, Japanese envoy Ryusei Akazawa expressed hope ahead of his talks in Washington that a "win-win" outcome could be reached.
"I am confident we can build a relationship of trust and conduct good negotiations that will lead to a win-win relationship," Akazawa told reporters.
Last week, Trump suspended the 24% "reciprocal" tariffs he had imposed on Japan for 90 days.
Despite being the largest investor in the United States, Japan still suffers from heavy tariffs on its exports to the country, including cars, steel, and aluminum.
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