Ishiba Plans Pre-G7 Summit with Trump as Trade Negotiations Show Promise Following Fourth Round of Ministerial Talks

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:57 JST, June 1, 2025

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering visiting the United States immediately before the mid-June G7 summit in Canada to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump as Japan-U.S. negotiations progress following the Trump administration’s tariff measures, according to several government sources.

The idea gained momentum after the fourth ministerial-level meeting held in Washington on Friday produced encouraging signs of a potential deal. Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa will be dispatched to the United States in early June for follow-up talks, and a final decision on the summit will be made once the progress has been assessed.

During earlier rounds of discussions, Japan proposed three main steps: expanding imports of U.S. agricultural products, revising non-tariff barriers affecting automobiles and increasing Japanese investment in the United States.

At the ministerial meeting on Friday, Akazawa met for about 130 minutes with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Akazawa stressed the value of Japan’s proposals and pressed for the withdrawal of the full package of tariffs, including the additional duties on automobiles, steel and aluminum.

After the talks, Akazawa told reporters, “We have confirmed that the discussions toward an agreement are moving forward.”

According to a senior Japanese official, the U.S. side showed strong interest in Japan’s ideas and urged Japan to develop them one step further.

Akazawa is expected to hold another ministerial session in the United States later this week to pave the way for a leaders-level agreement. While one option is to stage the Japan-U.S. summit on the sidelines of the G7 summit starting June 15, a meeting in the United States beforehand is gaining favor because it would allow both sides to focus exclusively on the negotiations. With Trump’s birthday falling on June 14, some within the Japanese government hope that announcing an agreement on that day would carry symbolic weight.