Japan-US leaders held talks at the G7 Summit, and the tariff issue remained unresolved.

At around 4:00 AM Japan time on the 17th (local time on the 16th), Japanese Prime Minister Issei Ishiba, who was attending the G7 Summit in Canada, held a 30-minute Japan-US summit meeting with US President Donald Trump, who was also attending the summit. Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akira Akazawa and US Treasury Secretary Bessette attended the meeting together, but the two leaders failed to reach any agreement on the tariff issue.

During the meeting, the two leaders had an open discussion on the US tariff measures and agreed to instruct ministers Akazawa and Bessette and other relevant cabinet members to further consult.

After the meeting, Prime Minister Ishiba told the press, "So far, both Japan and the US have been actively and seriously continuing discussions and exploring the prospects for negotiations to the fullest extent possible. However, there are still some cognitive differences between the two sides, so no overall plan has been reached. In this situation, today I had a frank exchange of opinions with the president, and we agreed to instruct relevant cabinet members to continue consultations. We will continue to make efforts to achieve an agreement beneficial to both Japan and the US while safeguarding Japan's national interests, and to promote coordination between Japan and the US."

When asked whether the talks between the two leaders touched on the issue of the cost of stationing US troops in Japan or the trade deficit with Japan, Prime Minister Ishiba said, "This topic was not discussed today."

When asked about his negotiations with various countries regarding tariffs during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the 17th, Trump responded, "Very good," when asked how the negotiations with Japan were going.

When asked if there would be further agreements on trade negotiations, Trump replied, "Yes, there are many."

The two leaders also confirmed that they would promote a "free and open Indo-Pacific" and further strengthen the Japan-US alliance to contribute more to world peace and prosperity.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki stated at a press conference on the 17th that the tariff negotiations between Japan and the US during the Japan-US summit held in Canada "had an open discussion on various issues including the US series of tariff measures while deepening mutual understanding."

Source: rfi

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1835166469437443/

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