Akazawa Held Two Phone Talks with Lutnick over Tariffs, Says Govt as Deadline for ‘Reciprocal Tariffs’ Approaches

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:11 JST, July 6, 2025

Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, chief tariff negotiator, recently held two rounds of telephone talks with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, the Japanese government announced Saturday.

“The both sides reaffirmed their respective positions and held detailed discussions,” the government said in a statement.

According to the government, Akazawa and Lutnick talked about 45 minutes from 8 p.m. on Thursday and about an hour from 8 p.m. on Saturday. These were the first talks since those between June 27 and 28.

Meanwhile, with the deadline for the pause on the additional “reciprocal tariffs” imposed by the Trump administration coming on Wednesday, Tokyo is making its last efforts to urge Washington to review tariffs on imports from Japan. The statement said, “We will continue vigorously coordinate with the United States government.”