Japan’s chief tariff negotiator said Thursday that purchases of U.S. defense equipment may help reduce the trade deficit, suggesting it could be used as a bargaining chip in bilateral talks about the levies.
Ryosei Akazawa, who met with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of a fourth round of tariff talks later this week in Washington, told reporters, “If you ask me whether (such purchases) are within the scope (of the talks), it is possible.”
But Akazawa, a close aide to Ishiba, also said tariff negotiations with the United States and security matters are “based on different logic and standards, so it is inappropriate to mix them in talks.”
Akazawa is expected to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the point man for the negotiations, during his second consecutive week of tariff talks with senior officials. Bessent was absent last week as he attended the Group of Seven meeting in Canada.
Japan is hoping to schedule an in-person summit between Ishiba and President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in June. Ahead of the meeting, the two governments might hold their fifth round of ministerial-level talks, diplomatic sources said.
Over the tariff negotiations, Ishiba has pledged to support the United States in its efforts to revive the shipbuilding industry amid China’s increasing dominance, saying Washington is interested in where its military ships can be repaired overseas.
A member of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force raises a Japanese flag on the destroyer Takanami in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in February 2020. (Kyodo)
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AloJapan.com