Japan-US trade talks end without progress on tariffs

Japanese Prime Minister Shinjiro Ishiba and US President Donald Trump agreed to move forward in trade talks between the two countries, but they did not make progress on reducing or eliminating tariffs that threaten the Japanese economy.

The 30-minute meeting between the two sides took place on the sidelines of the G7 summit held at the Kananaskis mountain resort in the Canadian Rockies, where Tokyo had hoped the meeting would accelerate the conclusion of a trade agreement between the two countries.

“We were exploring the possibility of reaching an agreement until the last moments, but there are still points of disagreement that we have not been able to overcome,” Japanese Prime Minister Shinjiro Ishiba told reporters in Kananaskis. Ishiba declined to specify the issues that remain contentious between Japan and the United States.