Japan's top trade negotiator on Thursday urged the U.S. to reconsider all tariffs on Japan after President Donald Trump joined in directly in the first round of bilateral trade talks between the two nations.
The Republican president attended the meeting alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, top economic advisers with a central role in his trade and tariff policies.
Following the talks, Japan's chief negotiator, Ryusei Akazawa, said he had stressed that tariffs imposed by Washington on autos, steel and aluminum - as well as the 10% baseline measure applied to all trading partners - were "regrettable" and that he had pushed for a full review.
"Based on today's talks the Japanese government will take a whole-of-government approach to tackle this issue of the highest priority," he said.
Akazawa said the two sides agreed to hold a second round of ministerial negotiations by the end of this month, while continuing a working-level discussion.
Japan is among the first countries to start open negotiations with the U.S. Trump and other administration officials have said the phones have been “ringing off the hook” with dozens of countries calling, eager to strike deals with a president who views himself as a master negotiator to avoid tariffs when the 90-day pause ends.
Trump's choice to get directly involved in negotiations points to his desire to quickly finalize a slew of trade deals as China is pursuing its own set of agreements
Back in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba issued a fairly neutral response.
"Needless to say, it will not be an easy ride, but President Trump said the negotiations with Japan are his top priority. I believe the talks we had will lead us to the next stage," he said.
Ishiba said he will closely watch how ministerial talks go and plans to visit Washington to meet with Trump at an appropriate time.
