No-Confidence Motion Unlikely as Japan-U.S. Talks Stall;CDPJ Calls Trump’s Tariff’s a ‘National Crisis’

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:15 JST, June 18, 2025

Prospects for the submission of a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan have dimmed as the Japan-U.S. summit in Canada on Monday failed to reach an agreement on a review of U.S. tariff measures.

Questioned by reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday regarding the submission of a no-confidence motion, CDPJ leader Yoshihiko Noda said only that he would make a “comprehensive judgment.” Noda has previously referred to the ongoing tariff negotiations with the United States as a “national crisis” and indicated that the progress of the talks would be a key factor in his decision on submitting the motion.

With the latest Japan-U.S. summit failing to reach an agreement, and some new U.S. tariffs whose implementation has been suspended due to take effect on July 9, the “national crisis” is expected to persist for the foreseeable future. Voices within the CDPJ therefore argue that now is not a time when a no-confidence motion can be submitted, according to a veteran CDPJ member.

Noda told reporters that he intends to thoroughly question Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba about the progress of the tariff negotiations during talks between the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties scheduled for Thursday.

Meanwhile, Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki expressed skepticism about the Japan-U.S. summit’s outcome at a press conference, saying: “My impression is that there was no substantive outcome. Can any agreement be reached by the [July 9] deadline?”