Politics & Government

Ishiba Likely to Meet with Bessent in Tokyo This Week; U.S. Treasury Secretary to Attend Expo Event

Reuters file photo
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on June 27.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, July 15, 2025

Arrangements are being made for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is scheduled to visit Japan to attend an event at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo in Osaka on Saturday, it has been learned.

Bessent is the chief negotiator for the Japan-U.S. talks on tariffs imposed by the United States on Japanese products. According to Japanese government sources, Ishiba hopes to make progress in the negotiations as the Aug. 1 deadline nears.

A meeting is being planned to take place in Tokyo on Friday, the sources said.

Ryosei Akazawa, minister in charge of economic revitalization and Japan’s chief negotiator, is also expected to meet with Bessent.

Bessent will participate in an event for the U.S. national day at the Expo as the head of the U.S. delegation.