Japan: We won’t make concessions on tariffs, we’re prepared for all scenarios

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said today that his country will not make easy concessions in trade talks with the United States, as the Wednesday deadline set by US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 35 percent on Japanese goods approaches.

Ishiba said in a television interview, “We won’t make easy concessions, and that’s why negotiations take time and are difficult,” stressing that his country is prepared to deal with all scenarios if an agreement is not reached. According to AFP, Tokyo is currently seeking to avoid the tariffs threatened by Trump, which have been temporarily suspended since April on several countries, including Japan, to give negotiations a chance. The suspension period is scheduled to expire on July 9, meaning the higher tariffs will go into effect if no agreement is reached.

Ishiba emphasized that Japan should be treated differently, saying, “We are the largest investor in the US economy, and we are the largest employer there. We are different.”