Trump joins tariff talks with Japan as US seeks deals amid trade wars
President Donald Trump on Wednesday inserted himself directly into trade talks with Japanese officials, a sign of the high stakes for the United States after its tariffs rattled the economy and caused the administration to assure the public that it would quickly reach deals.
The Republican president attended the meeting alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, top economic advisers with a central role in his trade and tariff policies.
“Hopefully something can be worked out which is good (GREAT!) for Japan and the USA!” Trump wrote in a social media post ahead of the meeting.
Afterwards, he posted: “A Great Honour to have just met with the Japanese Delegation on Trade. Big Progress!”
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters on Thursday in Tokyo that his chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, told him from Washington that the talks were “very candid and constructive”.
“Of course the talks are not easy, but President Trump stated his intention to make this negotiation a top priority,” Ishiba said. “I believe we had talks that lead to a next step.”
Ishiba said he will closely watch how ministerial talks go and plans to visit Washington to meet Trump at an appropriate time.
Trump's choice to get directly involved in negotiations points to his desire to quickly finalise a slew of trade deals as China is pursuing its own set of agreements. It's an open test of Trump's reputation as a dealmaker as countries around the world seek to limit the potential damage unleashed by his import taxes.
