According to a June 17 news report by Japan's Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump after attending the G7 Summit in Canada. However, even after direct contact between the leaders of both countries, no agreement was reached on the issue of tariffs, and they only decided to continue consultations in the future.
The report stated that Abe met with Trump around 3:00 PM local time in Canada. The two leaders exchanged views for approximately 30 minutes. After the meeting, Abe said, "There are still points where our understandings differ, so we have not been able to reach an overall comprehensive agreement." Abe also mentioned that both sides agreed that their respective cabinet ministers responsible for related affairs would maintain contact in the future and further promote consultations.
Shinzo Abe holds talks with Donald Trump in Canada. Photo from the Cabinet Public Relations Office of Japan.
In addition, regarding when an agreement can be reached with the United States, Abe said, "To achieve an agreement beneficial to both Japan and the United States, coordination will be actively promoted between the two countries. Since it is necessary to safeguard Japan's national interests, it is difficult to specify when such an agreement can be reached."
However, what Abe did not explicitly mention is that apart from unresolved issues between Japan and the United States, the Trump administration itself may not yet have reached a consensus on its tariff policy toward Japan.
According to a June 7 report by Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao website, despite five rounds of trade negotiations between the United States and Japan, there were obvious differences in positions among U.S. Treasury Secretary Bentsen, Commerce Secretary Rutenberg, and Trade Representative Griller during the negotiations. They even had "internal disputes" in front of Japanese representatives, making it impossible for the Japanese side to determine the true intentions of the Trump administration. Whether the U.S.-Japan tariff negotiations can proceed smoothly remains to be observed.
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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7516716325109219877/
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