Why is Ishiba Letting Trump Call the Shots in Tariff Talks?
There seems to be no end in sight for the Japan-United States tariff negotiations. With such slow progress, President Donald Trump has been stepping up his criticism of Japan.
Trump has said that it is "unfair" that US auto exports to Japan are at such a low level and has rebuffed Japan's requests to scrap or reconsider the 25% additional tariffs his administration has slapped on Japanese cars. The President has also complained that the Japanese imports of US rice are insufficient.
Trump has been pointing to both of these issues for quite some time. Nevertheless, the reason why he has recently intensified his criticism of Japan by name is likely a desire to shake up Tokyo. He wants to force major concessions from Japan in order to start eliminating the bilateral trade deficit.
Of course, the self-righteous US criticism regarding motor vehicle imports is unacceptable. Additionally, Japan imported 346,000 tons of American rice in 2024, more than twice the amount from the next largest external source, Thailand. At the same time, rice production constitutes the foundation of Japan's food security. So there is no need for our nation to blindly comply with US demands for increased imports of American rice. Japan should remain undeterred by Trump's provocative words and actions and continue to negotiate tenaciously.
What is worrisome is the fact that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has been out of the picture. Minister Ryosei Akazawa leaves the meeting with Commerce Secretary Robert Lutnick on June 27 in Washington. (©Kyodo)
Trump personally calls the shots as to whether the US will revise its tariff measures. The only person who can directly influence this impasse is the Prime Minister. So why is there no sign of Ishiba becoming proactively involved in the negotiations?
After agreement could not be reached at the June summit, the parties decided to continue negotiations at the Cabinet minister level. However, leaving the negotiations to Ryosei Akazawa, Minister of State for Economic Revitalization, does not solve the problem. Akazawa is not in a position to negotiate directly with the President.
Ishiba has a responsibility as prime minister to protect the national interest. If he just allows Trump to dictate the pace of negotiations, he will be unable to fulfill that responsibility.
Currently, the Japan-US tariff talks remain stymied over the additional tariffs on Japanese motor vehicles imported into the United States. That sector is a priority for Japan.
Akazawa visited the US at the end of June for the seventh ministerial meeting. However, he was unable to even meet with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is overseeing the US side in the talks. Trump's moratorium on the imposition of additional "reciprocal tariffs" is due to expire on July 9. Yet, no progress has been made in the negotiations, including regarding the possibility of extending the deadline. Prime Minister Ishiba answers reporters' questions on June 22. (©Sankei)
Trump unilaterally established that deadline. The US President also mentioned that he might send a letter to Japan ending the negotiations and setting the tariff level. It is problematic that Trump continues to unilaterally impose his will without fairly considering the ministerial-level talks and other input.
However, it is also questionable whether the Ishiba administration is capable of managing such Trump-style dealmaking. The Prime Minister must demonstrate the leadership necessary to break the impasse. That, of course, includes arranging a telephone summit with Trump, as well as writing him directly.
The time has come for Prime Minister Ishiba to prove his ability.
Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
このページを 日本語 で読む
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
16 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
A reignited Trump-Musk feud burns Tesla investors, shares of EV company tumble 8%
Shares of Tesla tumbled 8% at the opening bell Monday as the feud between CEO Elon Musk and Trump reignited over the weekend. Musk, once a top donor and ally of Trump, announced that he was forming a third political party in protest over the Republican spending bill that passed late last week. Musk has been highly critical of the bill, which he said would kill jobs and bog down burgeoning industries. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump said that the billionaire owner of SpaceX, Tesla and X had gone 'off the rails' in recent weeks. Investors fear that Musk's companies, which receive significant subsidies from the federal government, could suffer further if his feud with Trump continues to fester. 'With the autonomous future ahead and the AI Revolution in full force Musk/Tesla do not need to keep poking the bear as Trump can create more hurdles for Musk/Tesla/SpaceX over the coming years if this political battle gets nastier heading into mid-terms in 2026,' Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note to clients late Sunday. Tesla shares have been extremely volatile since Musk went all-in for Trump in the run-up to last year's election with the company facing a growing backlash as a result of Musk's embrace of right-wing politics and his role in the Trump administration. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Shares have plunged in Europe and the U.S.. Industry analysts believe a large part of that slump is being driven by Musk's affiliation with Trump and far-right parties like Germany AfD. But Tesla is facing rising competition globally, particularly in China. Since hitting an all-time high of $479.76 on Dec. 17, Tesla shares have lost about 40% of their value. Tesla shares are down about $26 each since Thursday's close, to $289.75.
16 minutes ago
Trump's global tariff pause is supposed to expire soon. What's at stake for Canada?
U.S. President Donald Trump's three-month pause on his sweeping global tariffs is set to expire in just a few days, unless he opts to give countries extra time to negotiate deals — as his advisers have suggested this weekend. Ahead of the deadline, some trade experts say Canada still faces big risks, despite avoiding that round of levies back in April. What the president needs is a bunch of wins by July 9 because he needs to show that his strategy is working, said Inu Manak, a fellow for trade policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, during an interview with CBC's The House (new window) that aired Saturday. On April 2, Trump held up a list in the Rose Garden of the White House and announced what he called "reciprocal tariffs" on more than 150 countries (new window) , including China and the European Union. The rates for individual countries on the list varied from 10 per cent to more than 40 per cent. Canada wasn't on that list, though other tariffs Trump had previously imposed on Canadian goods remained. One week after he unveiled the list, the president backed down (new window) and said he would freeze the global tariffs for 90 days to allow each country to negotiate deals with his administration. U.S. President Donald Trump's three-month pause on his sweeping global tariffs is set to expire in just a few days, unless he opts to give countries extra time to negotiate deals — as his advisers have suggested this weekend. Ahead of the deadline, some trade experts say Canada still faces big risks, despite avoiding that round of levies back in April. What the president needs is a bunch of wins by July 9 because he needs to show that his strategy is working, said Inu Manak, a fellow for trade policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, during an interview with CBC's The House (new window) that aired Saturday. On April 2, Trump held up a list in the Rose Garden of the White House and announced what he called "reciprocal tariffs" on more than 150 countries (new window) , including China and the European Union. The rates for individual countries on the list varied from 10 per cent to more than 40 per cent. Canada wasn't on that list, though other tariffs Trump had previously imposed on Canadian goods remained. One week after he unveiled the list, the president backed down (new window) and said he would freeze the global tariffs for 90 days to allow each country to negotiate deals with his administration. Ultimately, business has to see a business opportunity, Robertson said, adding that the U.S. continues to be the market with the easiest access for Canadian businesses. On The House , Sidhu told guest host Janyce McGregor that Canadian businesses were indeed comfortable dealing with the U.S., but now they're asking him to help facilitate access to more countries. Canada-U.S. trade talks Carney and Trump continue to negotiate a Canada-U.S. trade deal, after setting a deadline of July 21. Hampson said the deadline helps Canada hold the Americans' attention as the Trump administration negotiates with other countries. The Americans also have an interest in getting a deal done soon, Robertson said. WATCH | Carney comments on trade talks resuming: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Canada and U.S. restarted negotiations Monday morning, Carney says Prime Minister Mark Carney says he had a 'good' conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, and that the two leaders will keep working to reach a deal by July 21. The federal government scrapped the digital services tax over the weekend after Trump paused all trade talks. If [the Americans] can't do it with Canada, their ally and their partner, it's much harder to do with Mexico, much harder with China, he said. We should be the lowest of the hanging fruit from the American perspective. Trade discussions hit a roadblock in late June when Trump announced he would walk away from the negotiating table over Canada's digital services tax. The federal government scrapped the tax a few days later and discussions got back on track (new window) . Amid tariffs and falling sales, is Canada's EV mandate doomed? (new window) Robertson said he's a bit skeptical about how far Canada will get with the U.S. by July 21, but adds that Trump enjoys declaring victory even if the agreement is only 80 per cent of the way there. Would we settle for 80 per cent? Be basically there and leave the rest to be cleaned up? I think so, he said. Because if Trump's taken his eye off it and says it's basically there, then that's sufficient from where we're coming from. Ultimately, business has to see a business opportunity, Robertson said, adding that the U.S. continues to be the market with the easiest access for Canadian businesses. On The House , Sidhu told guest host Janyce McGregor that Canadian businesses were indeed comfortable dealing with the U.S., but now they're asking him to help facilitate access to more countries. Canada-U.S. trade talks Carney and Trump continue to negotiate a Canada-U.S. trade deal, after setting a deadline of July 21. Hampson said the deadline helps Canada hold the Americans' attention as the Trump administration negotiates with other countries. The Americans also have an interest in getting a deal done soon, Robertson said. WATCH | Carney comments on trade talks resuming: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Canada and U.S. restarted negotiations Monday morning, Carney says Prime Minister Mark Carney says he had a 'good' conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday, and that the two leaders will keep working to reach a deal by July 21. The federal government scrapped the digital services tax over the weekend after Trump paused all trade talks. If [the Americans] can't do it with Canada, their ally and their partner, it's much harder to do with Mexico, much harder with China, he said. We should be the lowest of the hanging fruit from the American perspective. Trade discussions hit a roadblock in late June when Trump announced he would walk away from the negotiating table over Canada's digital services tax. The federal government scrapped the tax a few days later and discussions got back on track (new window) . Amid tariffs and falling sales, is Canada's EV mandate doomed? (new window) Robertson said he's a bit skeptical about how far Canada will get with the U.S. by July 21, but adds that Trump enjoys declaring victory even if the agreement is only 80 per cent of the way there. Would we settle for 80 per cent? Be basically there and leave the rest to be cleaned up? I think so, he said. Because if Trump's taken his eye off it and says it's basically there, then that's sufficient from where we're coming from. Benjamin Lopez Steven (new window) · CBC News
Vancouver Sun
16 minutes ago
- Vancouver Sun
Netanyahu lands in DC for meeting with Trump at White House
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his delegation landed at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington on Monday morning, ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Following his arrival, the Israeli leader was scheduled to meet with U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Macro Rubio for a 'preparatory meeting' ahead of a closed dinner with Trump, expected to take place around 6 p.m. Washington time, according to the schedule. The United States is pressuring Qatar to 'deliver' on efforts to finalize a deal for the release of hostages held by the Hamas terrorist organization, according to Israel Hayom. A source familiar with the matter told the outlet that from the White House's perspective, with Israel having responded positively to the latest ceasefire proposal, it is now Qatar's responsibility to ensure Hamas agrees as well. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The Israeli negotiating team in Doha updated Netanyahu's entourage that the atmosphere of the talks regarding the hostages is positive. A member of the prime minister's delegation rejected reports that the negotiations had stalled and said there was a good chance of reaching an agreement during Netanyahu's visit. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told JNS on Monday that the prime minister 'wants a deal' to free the hostages. 'It's in the open, he doesn't accept my position,' said Ben-Gvir, speaking with JNS at a Knesset meeting of his Otzma Yehudit Party. 'I think that's a big mistake. We have a disagreement on this subject. 'We agreed about [the targeted killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah, we agreed about Iran, we agreed on many things. On this subject, he does not agree with me,' he added. Last week, Trump said that 'we're close to a deal on Gaza,' adding: 'I think there's a good chance we have a deal with Hamas during the coming week. We've gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out.' Looking ahead to his meeting with Netanyahu, Trump said the two leaders would discuss a range of issues, starting with what he called the 'great success' of Israel's recent military operation against Iran. 'We had an incredible success, like nobody's had in many, many years. That was a precision war strike,' Trump said, referring to the American bombing of the Fordow nuclear site. 'The word 'obliteration' can now be used because the Atomic Energy Commission said you can't even get into the place. It was demolished. It was really demolished. It was a great, brilliant strike, and [we'll discuss] how to go forward,' the president asserted. Religious Zionism Knesset member Simcha Rothman told JNS on Monday that there exists an opportunity, following the victory over Iran, 'to create a new reality in the Middle East—and I believe there are no people more suited to do it than President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu. 'I see many people talking about friction between them ever since the day Trump was elected,' Rothman continued. 'It's more wishful thinking on their part than reality. I don't think we've ever seen an American president and an Israeli prime minister this coordinated, and I'm sure it will stay that way.' Yesh Atid lawmaker Naor Shiri told JNS on Monday that the bilateral talks should 'focus on the hostages, the end of the fighting in Gaza, the day after and the continuation of the campaign against Iran.
