Japan invokes national interest as tariff talks with US struggle
Japan has yet to secure a trade deal after nearly three months of negotiations.
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on July 2 he was determined to protect his country's national interests as trade negotiations with the US struggled and
President Donald Trump threatened even higher tariff rates on the Asian ally.
'Japan is different from other countries as we are the largest investor in the United States, creating jobs,' Mr Ishiba said in a public debate with opposition party leaders.
'With our basic focus being on investment rather than tariffs, we'll continue to protect our national interest while working to reduce the US trade deficit with Japan,' he said.
Mr Trump on July 1
cast doubt on a possible deal with Japan , indicating that he could impose a tariff of 30 per cent or 35 per cent on Japanese imports - well above the 24 per cent rate he announced on April 2 and then paused until July 9.
Tokyo has yet to secure a trade deal after nearly three months of negotiations as it scrambles to find ways to get Washington to exempt Japan's automakers from 25 per cent automobile industry-specific tariffs, which are hurting the country's manufacturing sector.
Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi reported on July 2 that Japan's tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa was organising his eighth visit to the United States as early as this weekend.
Mr Ishiba said during the debate that Japan would continue to create jobs in the US while protecting domestic industries.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Singapore and Cambodia to expand collaboration in renewable energy, carbon markets and agri-trade
Singapore 3 out of 4 in Singapore cannot identify deepfake content: Cyber Security Agency survey
Singapore Ong Beng Seng's court hearing rescheduled one day before he was expected to plead guilty
Singapore Three hair salons raided in clampdown on touting, vice, drugs in Geylang and Joo Chiat
Singapore The romance continues: Former 'Singapore girl', 77, returns to Osaka Expo after 55 years
Singapore GrabCab, Singapore's newest taxi operator, hits the roads with over 40 cabs to be rolled out in July
Singapore Police looking into claim by driver who caused teen's death that he was an NUS student
Singapore 3 weeks' jail for man who touched himself on train, flicked bodily fluid on female passenger
'If auto sales to the US are bound to drop, we will boost domestic demand and diversify export destinations to protect Japanese industries,' Mr Ishiba said.
The deadlock in the trade talks could hurt the ruling coalition in a key upper house election on July 20, although analysts say easy concessions could also undermine their support.
Mr Yoshihiko Noda, the leader of the largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, criticised Mr Ishiba's tactics, accusing his administration of failing to set a clear framework for negotiations and being unable to convince the US side on Japan's contributions. REUTERS
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
US' Rubio calls off his Japan and South Korea visit, Nikkei reports
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is postponing his visit to Japan and South Korea to focus on the Middle East, Japan's Nikkei newspaper said. TOKYO - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called off his first visit to Japan and South Korea to focus on the Middle East, Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported on July 3. Mr Rubio was expected to land in Tokyo on July 7, but he has informed the Japanese and South Korean governments that his schedule will be postponed, the report said. Mr Rubio had planned to visit Japan for the first time in early July, followed by South Korea, before attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers' meetings in Malaysia, Kyodo reported last week, quoting a Japanese government official. Instead, Mr Rubio is set to attend a meeting in Washington between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Nikkei added. Earlier in the day, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said that Mr Rubio's visit to South Korea appears to be 'difficult' to arrange in the near future. REUTERS

Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Putin tells Trump he won't back down from goals in Ukraine, Kremlin says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks during a plenary session of a forum organised by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) in Moscow, Russia, July 3, 2025. Sputnik/Ramil Sitdikov/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call on Thursday that Moscow wants a negotiated end to the Ukraine war but will not step back from its original goals, a Kremlin aide said. In a wide-ranging conversation that also covered Iran and the Middle East, Trump "again raised the issue of an early end to military action" in Ukraine, the aide, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters. "Vladimir Putin, for his part, noted that we continue to seek a political and negotiated solution to the conflict," Ushakov said. Putin briefed Trump on the implementation of agreements reached between Russia and Ukraine last month to exchange prisoners-of-war and dead soldiers, Ushakov said, and told him that Moscow was ready to continue negotiations with Kyiv. "Our president also said that Russia will achieve the goals it has set: that is, the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, to the current acute confrontation, and Russia will not back down from these goals," he added. There was nothing in the Kremlin readout to suggest that Putin had made any shift in Moscow's position during the conversation with Trump, who took office with a promise to end the war swiftly but has voiced frequent frustration with the lack of progress between the two sides. The phrase "root causes" is shorthand for the Kremlin's argument that it was compelled to go to war in Ukraine to prevent the country from joining NATO and being used by the Western alliance as a launch pad to attack Russia. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Seller's stamp duty rates for private homes raised; holding period increased from 3 years to 4 Singapore 193ha of land off Changi to be reclaimed for aviation park; area reduced to save seagrass meadow Business More Singapore residents met CPF Required Retirement Sum when they turned 55 in 2024 Singapore PAP questions Pritam's interview with Malaysian podcast, WP says PAP opposing for the sake of opposing Sport 'Pedal to the metal' for next 2 years, says Singaporean powerlifter Farhanna Farid Singapore 1 in 4 appeals to waive HDB wait-out period for private home owners approved since Sept 2022 Sport A true fans' player – Liverpool supporters in Singapore pay tribute to late Diogo Jota Singapore Healthcare facility planned for site of Ang Mo Kio Public Library after it moves to AMK Hub Ukraine and its European allies say that is a specious pretext for what they call an imperial-style war, but Trump in previous public comments has shown sympathy with Moscow's refusal to accept NATO membership for Ukraine. Putin and Trump did not talk about the U.S. decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine, Ushakov said. On Iran, he said, "the Russian side emphasised the importance of resolving all disputes, disagreements and conflict situations exclusively by political and diplomatic means". Trump last month sent U.S. military bombers to strike three Iranian nuclear sites, in a move condemned by Moscow as unprovoked and illegal. REUTERS

Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Russian missile strike on Odesa port infrastructure kills two, Ukraine says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted photos of damage at the port in Odesa to his X account. Two people were killed and six injured. KYIV - A Russian airstrike on key Ukrainian export infrastructure in the southern Black Sea port city of Odesa killed two people and wounded six more, including two foreigners, Ukrainian officials said on July 3. About 90 per cent of all Ukrainian exports are shipped to foreign markets through the ports of the Odesa seaport hub, including millions of tonnes of grain and metals. 'Today, an Iskander missile hit one of the berths of the Odesa seaport. At the time, people were working at the berth, unloading metal from a foreign vessel flying the flag of Sao Tome and Príncipe,' Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said, on the Telegram messenger. He said berthing facilities for bulk carriers, port cranes, cars and warehouses were damaged. Mr Kuleba said two people were killed - a docker-mechanic and a truck driver. Six more people were injured, including two Syrian citizens and members of the crew of a civilian ship. 'This is not an isolated incident; rather, it is part of Russia's targeted campaign against Ukraine's economy and agriculture, as well as global food security and freedom of navigation,' Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Telegram. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Seller's stamp duty rates for private homes raised; holding period increased from 3 years to 4 Singapore 193ha of land off Changi to be reclaimed for aviation park; area reduced to save seagrass meadow Business More Singapore residents met CPF Required Retirement Sum when they turned 55 in 2024 Singapore PAP questions Pritam's interview with Malaysian podcast, WP says PAP opposing for the sake of opposing Sport 'Pedal to the metal' for next 2 years, says Singaporean powerlifter Farhanna Farid Singapore 1 in 4 appeals to waive HDB wait-out period for private home owners approved since Sept 2022 Sport A true fans' player – Liverpool supporters in Singapore pay tribute to late Diogo Jota Singapore Healthcare facility planned for site of Ang Mo Kio Public Library after it moves to AMK Hub Russia regularly attacks Ukrainian port infrastructure and stepped up strikes after Ukraine began exporting goods through its maritime corridor along the western coast of the Black Sea. Moscow says its attacks are aimed at impeding Ukraine's war efforts. Ukraine created a shipping corridor in the Black Sea following the collapse of a UN-backed Black Sea grain export initiative in 2023 that involved Russia and had ensured the safe passage of grain ships. Since the start of the Ukrainian sea corridor in August 2023, 101 million tonnes of food cargo, including 78.5 million tonnes of grain, have been exported by sea from Odesa ports. REUTERS