Security issues in tariff talks not appropriate, says Japan’s PM Ishiba
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Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says he believes cutting the US trade deficit is US President Donald Trump’s top priority.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO – Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on April 20 his government will not include discussions on security in its trade talks with the United States, while US President Donald Trump has called for reducing the US burden in defending Japan.
“I don’t think it is appropriate to discuss security and trade together. We should address security issues without linking them to tariffs,” Mr Ishiba said on a TV programme, days after his close aide met with Mr Trump and senior US officials on the recently increased levies.
Mr Ishiba also said he believes that cutting the US trade deficit with other countries is Mr Trump’s top priority, pledging to review Japan’s non-tariff barriers for automobiles to move forward negotiations with the US.
“We will work hard to ensure that Japan is not accused of being unfair,” he said, but he did not elaborate on other key issues such as foreign exchange rates and Tokyo’s holdings of US Treasuries.
On when to conclude the talks, Mr Ishiba said, “They must produce a desirable outcome for both sides. We want to take the necessary time to create a model for the world.”
He reiterated that he would visit the US “at the most appropriate time”.
As for the liberalisation of agricultural markets, Mr Ishiba said his government is aiming to strike a balance between the distribution of affordable, high-quality products and the protection of domestic producers, whose numbers have declined amid a falling birthrate.
He also said Japan, as a leader in free trade, will bolster cooperation with Asean and the European Union, while expressing concern over the negative impact of the US-China tit-for-tat tariff escalation.
Economic Revitalisation Minister Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief negotiator for tariff talks with the US, on April 16 met in Washington with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
The Japanese government is also arranging a meeting between Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato and Mr Bessent on April 24 in the US capital, a source close to the matter said, with foreign exchange issues possibly on the agenda.
Mr Bessent, a billionaire who worked as a hedge fund manager, previously voiced his readiness to tackle foreign exchange challenges, as Mr Trump accuses other countries of currency manipulation and implementing policies that lead to imbalanced trade.
Mr Kato is expected to visit Washington to attend a two-day gathering of the finance chiefs of the Group of 20 economies starting on April 23, which will be held on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. KYODO NEWS
