According to a Japanese government source, Trump made uncertain claims, such as that Japan’s trade surplus with the United States is as high as 120 billion dollars and that there are no US-made cars in Japan.
It remains unclear what is and is not in the scope of negotiations. Issues such as Japan’s defence spending and the dollar-yen exchange rate may be on the agenda in future talks.
One economy-related government official noted the difficulty of preparing for negotiations with the Trump administration, saying, “We don’t know how things will turn out until a meeting.”
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that Japan was first in line to negotiate with the United States.
As tariff negotiations with Japan will become a model for those with other countries, the United States is unlikely to make easy concessions in talks with Japan.
With the 90-day suspension of additional US reciprocal tariffs set to expire in early July, many in the Japanese government believe it will ultimately be up to Ishiba to talk with Trump in person to strike a deal.
“While seeing how ministerial-level talks progress, I myself will travel to the United States at the most appropriate time to meet directly with Trump,” the prime minister told reporters on Thursday.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
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