Govt May Send Tariff Negotiator to U.S. in April; Ishiba Wants to Limit Economic Impact with Early Discussions

The Yomiuri Shimbun

1:00 JST, April 11, 2025

The government has begun making arrangements for Ryosei Akazawa, minister in charge of economic revitalization, to visit the United States within this month, according to multiple government sources.

Akazawa, who has been put in charge of negotiating a review of U.S. tariff measures, is expected to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who are in charge of negotiations on the U.S. side. The government aims to accelerate talks to achieve an early agreement on the measures.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba judged it necessary to begin minister-level negotiations with the United States at an early stage in order to mitigate the impacts of the tariff measures on the Japanese economy, the sources said. Government officials intend to work out a concrete schedule with the U.S. side soon.

Share prices have fluctuated wildly, including in the U.S. stock market, on the tariff measures, as concerns grow over a possible intensification of trade friction as a result of retaliatory tariffs and other measures.

“The U.S. side may want to show other countries a model of agreement and send a message to the market by proceeding with negotiations with Japan first,” said a senior Japanese government official.

The Japanese government is in a rush to compile all the possible bargaining chips that Akazawa could present to the U.S. side. Considerations will likely be given mainly to investment plans in the United States, reviews of non-tariff barriers, such as regulations and tax systems, and the expansion of imports of U.S. agricultural products.