This file photo shows plush toys of Myaku-Myaku, the official mascot of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. (Mainichi/Kenjiro Sato)
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will head a presidential delegation to Osaka to attend the World Exposition in the Japanese city on July 19, the White House said Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the plan at a time when he has intensified pressure on Japan to compromise in tariff talks with his administration.
It remains unknown whether Bessent, a key figure in the ongoing bilateral negotiations, will meet with Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, or other officials while in the country.
The United States will celebrate its national day at the expo on July 19, featuring a full day of cultural programming and business engagement.
The celebration falls one day before Japan’s House of Councillors election, with media polls indicating Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s ruling coalition is facing an uphill battle to retain majority control in the upper chamber of parliament.
Under such circumstances, it is politically delicate for Japan to engage in any talks with Bessent on the Trump administration’s tariffs.
The other members of the delegation will be George Glass, ambassador of the United States to Japan, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and William Grayson, commissioner general for the expo’s U.S. pavilion, according to the White House.
AloJapan.com