Japanese Economic Revitalization Minister arrived in Washington

Japanese Economic Revitalization Minister Akazawa Ryosei arrived in Washington on Thursday for another round of tariff negotiations with the United States. Akazawa is scheduled to meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday.

On Wednesday, Akazawa met with Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa, who co-heads the government’s tariff task force with him, to confirm how to proceed with the negotiations. Japan views that in order to make progress in the tariff talks, it is essential to win over Bessent, as President Donald Trump is said to have great confidence in him. Bessent did not attend the previous negotiations last week.