Japan Aims to Finalize US Trade Deal

(MENAFN) Japan’s chief trade negotiator expressed his objective to secure a trade accord with the United States prior to the implementation of mutual tariffs scheduled for August 1, according to a news agency on Tuesday.

“I don’t have (such a concern),” Ryosei Akazawa stated to journalists on Monday at an airport near Washington, DC, when questioned about whether Japan’s recent election results might complicate the negotiations.

The governing coalition lost its majority in the upper house following Sunday’s election.

“I believe that both Japan and the United States have a desire to reach some kind of agreement by then,” he continued, alluding to the looming deadline for a pause on President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff measures.

Despite Japan’s urgency, a news outlet reported comments from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who emphasized that the administration prioritizes “high-quality deals” and added, “we’re not going to rush for the sake of doing deals.”

Akazawa, who arrived in Washington for the eighth round of trade discussions, landed just one day after the vote, in which Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition lost its upper house control.

During his trip, Akazawa mentioned his intention to confer with Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

MENAFN22072025000045017167ID1109830833