Japanese Prime Minister says Japan-US tariff negotiations will not be easily compromised

In the NHK television program "Sunday Discussion" on July 6th, 10 party leaders from both the ruling and opposition parties discussed heatedly the issue of responding to the high tariff measures of the U.S. government, which is a key point in the House of Councillors election. Prime Minister Ishiba Sho (President of the Liberal Democratic Party) clearly stated on the tariff negotiations: "This is a matter of national interest, and we will not compromise easily. It's natural."

Yoshihiko Noda, the representative of the Constitutional Democratic Party, requested that Prime Minister Ishiba directly negotiate with President Trump before the deadline set by the U.S. for stopping the reciprocal tariffs, which is July 9th.

Prime Minister Ishiba said: "Even as an ally, we must say what needs to be said. We are the largest overseas investor and the largest job creator for the U.S., which is different from other countries. We are conducting extremely difficult negotiations while safeguarding our national interests. The Minister of Economic Revitalization, Akizawa, also communicated with the U.S. Commerce Secretary Lutnick yesterday. This is naturally a time-consuming and severe negotiation, and we will not compromise easily. Regarding defense costs, the U.S. has not made specific demands, and we will make decisions based on our own judgment."

U.S. President Trump said on the 4th that he would send 12 letters to trade partner countries and regions on the 7th, each specifying the tariff rate. Although the specific targets were not explicitly mentioned, it is estimated that the highest possible tariff could reach 70%. On the 1st, when he mentioned a uniform tariff on Japan, he said "30% or 35%", and added, "I don't think we can reach an agreement with Japan."

Prime Minister Ishiba also participated in the Fuji Television news program "Sunday Report THE PRIME" (broadcast every Sunday at 7:30 AM). In the program, when Fuji Television commentator Toshifumi Matsuyama asked him, "If you receive a letter from Trump, has Japan already prepared for the response?" Ishiba said, "We have prepared for various situations. Mr. Trump once said, 'Japan is very stubborn.' How can we be stubborn to protect our national interests? We are firmly protecting Japan's national interests by considering all possible scenarios. This is the natural attitude of Japan."

Regarding the currently applied 25% additional tariff on automobiles, the Prime Minister was asked whether he would still insist on zero tariffs, and he replied, "If we do not stick to this point, we cannot conduct negotiations. If we start by saying 'we can compromise here,' it's not really a negotiation at all."

He stated that even if other countries choose to compromise, Japan will not do so, "We should clearly recognize that we are different from other countries."

The Cabinet Secretariat announced on the 5th that the Japanese Minister of Economic Revitalization, Akizawa Ryo, who is responsible for negotiating with the U.S. on tariff measures, had held two telephone talks with the U.S. Commerce Secretary Lutnick up to the 6th. During the talks, both sides reaffirmed their respective positions and had "in-depth exchanges" on relevant issues. The Japanese government will continue to actively coordinate with the U.S. in the future.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836919792301063/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.