ISTANBUL
Japan’s top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, remained silent Monday after US President Donald Trump announced he has no plans to roll back higher auto tariffs on Tokyo, Kyodo News reported.
After returning to Japan from the latest tariff talks in Washington, Akazawa told reporters that the date of the next ministerial trade negotiations has not yet been decided and will be scheduled after working-level talks.
Akazawa, Japan’s minister for economic revitalization, visited Washington on Thursday for the seventh round of ministerial talks and met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Although he extended his stay in Washington by one day to Sunday, he was unable to secure a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, an important figure in Trump’s trade policy.
Trump said in an interview broadcast Sunday that he would continue to impose a 25% trade tax on imported automobiles despite Tokyo’s repeated requests for removal of the duty.
“Dear Mr. Japan, here’s the story. You’re going to pay a 25% tariff on your cars,” Trump said on Fox News, noting that the US has a large trade deficit with Japan.
Japan exported 16.2 trillion yen ($112 billion) worth of vehicles globally in 2024, with 5.9 trillion yen ($39 billion) going to the US, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
Japan has repeatedly called for the removal of the US’ 25% import duty on cars. Although a planned 24% reciprocal tariff was paused, Washington still imposed a 10% baseline tariff along with additional duties on steel and aluminum.
Separately, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met with Nippon Steel CEO Eiji Hashimoto in Tokyo Monday to discuss the company’s acquisition of US Steel on June 18, according to Nikkei.
“The amicable conclusion of the deal will certainly have a positive impact on the ongoing tariff negotiations,” Iwaya said, expressing his support for the deal to succeed.
Nippon Steel is Japan’s largest and the world’s fourth-largest steel producer.