Japanese Prime Minister Holds Talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Bassett

On July 18, Japanese time, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with the U.S. presidential delegation visiting Japan to attend the U.S. National Pavilion Day event for the 2025 Japan World Expo (Osaka-Kansai World Expo). During this meeting, he held talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Yellen stated that regarding the Japan-U.S. negotiations on U.S. tariff measures, she believes "a good agreement is bound to be reached."

During the talks, Economic Revitalization Minister Akira Akazawa, who is responsible for the negotiations on the Japanese side, was also present. Prime Minister Ishiba told Yellen that he hopes she and Minister Akazawa "continue to actively negotiate to reach an agreement beneficial to both sides."

Minister Yellen stated: "A good agreement is bound to be reached."

After the talks, when asked whether there could be a meeting with President Trump, Ishiba told reporters: "Although the specific schedule for my meeting with President Trump has not been determined yet, I believe that as someone who bears national interests, there will certainly be an opportunity to directly communicate with the president. In the future, I will closely monitor the progress of the negotiations to decide on the next steps."

After meeting with Prime Minister Ishiba, Yellen posted on the social media platform X: "It is still possible to achieve a mutually beneficial trade agreement between the U.S. and Japan," and said: "Rather than rushing to reach an agreement, we should focus on the quality of the agreement," implying that the negotiations may still take time. She also wrote: "I look forward to continuing formal consultations in the future."

President Trump plans to impose a 25% tariff on Japanese imports starting from next month. The Japanese government plans to strengthen communication at all levels, aiming to reach an agreement.

At the beginning of the talks, Prime Minister Ishiba expressed his condolences over the floods in Texas, USA.

Prime Minister Ishiba also welcomed the visit of the U.S. presidential delegation and thanked President Trump for sending the delegation to Japan. He also stated that the U.S. National Pavilion Day event for the Osaka-Kansai World Expo on the 19th would be an important opportunity to demonstrate the solid alliance and friendly relations between Japan and the U.S.

Prime Minister Ishiba also exchanged views with the U.S. presidential delegation on cooperation between Japan and the U.S. in various fields. During the talks, Ishiba pointed out: "The security of Ukraine, the Middle East, and Asia are interrelated, and I hope to further strengthen Japan-U.S. cooperation. Japan will safeguard its own peace and security based on its own position, continue to enhance its defense capabilities, and emphasized that there are many areas where Japan and the U.S. should cooperate in economic and economic security fields."

Sources: rfi

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838075814889475/

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