Japan’s top trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, might travel to Washington as early as next week for a third round of trade talks with the U.S., two sources familiar with the plans told Reuters on Thursday.
The exact date of his visit is not fixed and will depend on how much progress the two countries make in resolving differences during staff-level talks, one of the sources said, speaking anonymously because they were not allowed to discuss it publicly.
Japan is looking at a set of proposals to get U.S. concessions, which may include buying more U.S. corn and soy, working together on shipbuilding technology, and changing the inspection rules for imported cars, the source said.
It’s unclear whether the two sides can resolve their differences on Japan’s main priority, which is getting exemptions from U.S. tariffs on cars and auto parts—key parts of its export-driven economy.
“We will seek reviews of the range of U.S. tariff measures, such as those on automobiles, auto parts, steel, aluminium as well as the reciprocal tariffs, that are deeply regrettable,” Akazawa, who is also economic revitalisation minister, told a news conference on Wednesday.
On April 2, U.S. President Donald Trump introduced a 10% tariff on all countries except Canada, Mexico, and China. Many big trading partners, including Japan, face higher tariffs, with Japan’s tariff set to rise to 24% starting in July, unless it can reach a deal with the U.S.
Japanese lawmakers and policymakers have said they don’t see any benefit in making a deal with the U.S. unless the 25% tariff on car imports is removed, because the car industry is so important to Japan’s export-driven economy.
The impact is already clear in Japan’s car industry. Mazda reported a 45.1% drop in net profit for the year that ended in March and decided not to release earnings estimates for the current year, which runs through March 2026.
During his second visit to Washington on May 1, Akazawa asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to review the 25% tariffs on cars and auto parts. However, the two sides were unable to agree on the issue.
Japan was the first major economy to begin trade talks with the U.S., but Britain was the first to reach a deal with the Trump administration. China also agreed to a truce with the U.S., helping ease trade tensions and causing global stock prices to rise sharply.
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