- TOKYO — Japanese
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Sunday that it would not be appropriate
to discuss security and trade together with the US.
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- “I don’t think it is appropriate to discuss security and
trade together. We should address security issues without linking them to
tariffs,” the Japanese Prime Minister told a local TV program, days after his
close aide met Trump and senior US officials on the recently increased tariffs.
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- On negotiations, the Prime Minister said, “They must produce
a desirable outcome for both sides. We want to take the necessary time to
create a model for the world.”
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- He reiterated that he would visit the US ‘at the most
appropriate time’.
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- He said that he (Trump) considers cutting the US trade
deficit with other countries is Trump’s top priority. The Prime Minister
further pledged to assess Japan’s automobile regulations to facilitate
negotiations with the US.
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- “We will work hard to ensure that Japan is not accused of
being unfair,” said the Prime Minister.
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- Expressing concern over the negative impact of the US-China
tit-for-tat tariff escalation, Ishiba assured that Japan, as a leader in free
trade, will bolster cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
and the European Union.
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- Earlier this week, Akazawa
Ryosei, Minister in charge of Economic Revitalisation of Japan, visited
the US and held a meeting on ‘Japan-US Consultation on US Tariff Measures’ with
President Trump, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and others concerning US
tariff measures.
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