U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are set to hold a bilateral meeting next week in Canada during the Group of Seven (G7) summit, while the two countries conducted their sixth Minister-level tariff negotiations in Washington, D.C., on the 13th.
According to NHK and Kyodo News, Japan's chief negotiator, Minister Ryosei Akazawa, met with U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to discuss the negotiations. Akazawa told the press, "We had in-depth discussions to achieve an agreement that benefits both sides."
When asked if there is a possibility of reaching an agreement on tariffs at the upcoming G7 summit, he replied, "I will refrain from speculation." On the other hand, Secretary Lutnick indicated to reporters as he left the negotiation room that it was "a great meeting."
According to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Akazawa met with Secretary Lutnick for about 1 hour and 10 minutes and with Secretary Bessent for approximately 45 minutes to discuss expanding trade, non-tariff measures, and economic security cooperation.
Earlier, President Trump and Prime Minister Ishiba had a phone conversation at Japan's request on the night of the 13th and agreed to hold a bilateral meeting at the G7 summit. Prime Minister Ishiba told reporters, "I reiterated that we demand the elimination of all tariff measures" and noted, "Our position on the elimination demands remains unchanged."
The U.S.-Japan Minister-level tariff negotiations have been held weekly for four weeks. However, it seems that the two countries have not yet reached a satisfactory conclusion. The Japanese government has been calling for a review of the tariff measures against Japan.
However, the U.S. has maintained since the beginning of negotiations that only tariffs uniformly applied at 10% on reciprocal tariffs, along with an additional country-specific tariff (14% for Japan), are open for discussion. It is reported that the U.S. has shown reluctance regarding item-specific tariff adjustments on automobiles, steel, and aluminum.