Japan PM Ishiba Meets U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent to Talk Tariffs, Hoping for Progress

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:03 JST, July 19, 2025

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday, ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline for when “reciprocal tariffs” are set to be imposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Ishiba hopes to advance tariff negotiations.

Bessent, who oversees the tariff talks between Japan and the United States, arrived in Japan on Thursday and is set to lead the delegation participating in the United States’ “national day” at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo on Saturday.

Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, who is the chief tariff negotiator for Japan, will host the U.S. delegation in Osaka on Saturday.