U.S. envoy plays down Washington-Tokyo trade row

U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass played down concerns over the U.S.-Japan trade row Friday, but emphasized the need for Tokyo to contribute more on the security front.

Speaking to business leaders and political heavyweights in Tokyo, Glass dismissed concerns that tensions over unilateral U.S. tariffs could lead to a repeat of the trade war between the two countries in the 1980s.

“I know that some of us who would look at our current trade negotiations and see trouble ahead for the great alliance. That can’t be further from the truth,” Glass said, adding that the United States and Japan have “an alliance greater than any one set of trade talks or defense negotiations.”