Trade USA aims to reach agreement with Japan in tariff dispute within 90 days
According to the Japanese minister responsible, the USA is seeking a trade agreement in the tariff dispute with Japan. The US government wants to reach an agreement within 90 days, said the Minister for Economic Revitalization, Ryosei Akazawa, in Washington on Wednesday.
17.04.2025, 07:20
SDA
Both sides wanted to reach an agreement "as soon as possible" and the move would be announced by US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the minister said. Further consultations are planned for this month.
Japan's Prime Minister Ishiba then said that future negotiations would "not be easy". However, President Trump had "expressed his wish to give top priority to negotiations with Japan". Tokyo recognizes "that this round of talks has laid a foundation for the next steps, and we appreciate that," Ishiba said in Tokyo.
Japan is currently in negotiations with the USA to reduce Trump's tariffs. Akazawa had traveled to Washington to advance the negotiations. So far, it has not been possible to secure an exemption from the US tariffs of 25 percent on cars, steel and aluminum. According to analysts, Tokyo could use increased purchases of US natural gas and US defense goods as a bargaining chip.
Trump announced a minimum tariff of ten percent for all trading partners at the beginning of April. He initially imposed significantly higher surcharges on around 60 countries, including 24% for Japan. A week later, however, the US President performed a U-turn and announced a "pause" for 90 days, but a rate of ten percent will apply. This is significantly higher than the previous average tariff level for Japanese exports to the USA.
