PM warns Japan should not be underestimated, stoking tariff concern
The comment, made during a stump speech for the July 20 House of Councillors election, is widely seen as an effort by Ishiba to emphasize his commitment to protecting national interests, with an eye toward his domestic audience and supporters of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Still, it is unusual for a sitting Japanese prime minister to use such strong language toward the United States, a longtime security ally.
Japan was among the first countries to begin bilateral negotiations with the United States over President Donald Trump's tariff policy. Trump announced earlier this week that he will impose a 25 percent tariff on Japan starting Aug 1.
"It's a battle where our national interests are at stake. Do not underestimate us. Even if it is an ally that we are negotiating with, we must say (what needs to be said) without hesitation," Ishiba said in front of supporters and others in Chiba Prefecture, on Wednesday. "We will protect what must be protected."
Despite multiple rounds of ministerial talks and a face-to-face summit between Ishiba and Trump, Japan has yet to bridge differences with the United States, a key trading partner. Following Trump's announcement of a 25 percent tariff, Ishiba said Tuesday that his government will step up negotiations to reach a mutually beneficial deal by Aug 1, the extended deadline.
Ishiba's comment prompted an immediate reaction from opposition lawmakers, who have largely been taking a wait-and-see stance on how the government will engage in the bilateral tariff talks.
"Even as a campaign strategy, using such strong words in the absence of the negotiating partner will be negative if Japan wants to advance negotiations smoothly. The comment will rather undermine our national interests," Yuichiro Tamaki, who heads the Democratic Party for the People, a small opposition force, told reporters.
A source close to the Ishiba government said, the prime minister's remark "must have complicated the situation for the negotiators."
Chief negotiator Ryosei Akazawa, a close aide to Ishiba, has said he will accelerate talks with the United States toward reaching a "package" deal.
Since the start of the negotiations, Japan has emphasized its contributions to the United States as an ally, highlighting investments by Japanese firms that have helped create jobs in the world's largest economy.
But Trump, who sees the imposition of tariffs as an effective way to reduce his country's massive trade deficit with Japan, has appeared unfazed. He has taken issue with how Japan is not importing enough U.S. cars or rice, and claims that bilateral trade is not reciprocal.
After his remark stirred reactions, Ishiba said on a TV program Thursday that he used the language to convey that Japan should step up efforts to reduce its dependence on the United States.
"If their thinking is that we have to listen and follow what they say because we rely on them so much, we'd say, 'Don't look down on us,'" Ishiba said in reference to Japan's close security and economic ties.
In addition to the proposed reciprocal tariff, a separate 25 percent import levy on Japanese cars is seen as a major stumbling block in the negotiations, given the importance of the auto sector in both countries. Automakers like Toyota Motor Corp. form the backbone of Japan's export-driven economy.
Ahead of the upper house election, a must-win for Ishiba after losing majority control of the more powerful House of Representatives last October, he has repeatedly stressed that Japan will not make easy concessions.
"It looks as if the comment has raised the bar (for bilateral negotiations)," Masahisa Sato, a senior lawmaker of Ishiba's LDP, who is a candidate seeking another term in the upper house, said in a social media post.
"He should not have made such a comment during election campaigning," said Sato, who once served as a senior vice foreign minister.
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