Japan to kick off tariff negotiations with Trump in Washington

President Trump said Japan is set to kick off tariff negotiations with the US in Washington on Wednesday — becoming one of the first countries to test his willingness to relent on the sweeping tariffs.

“Japan is coming in today to negotiate Tariffs, the cost of military support, and ‘TRADE FAIRNESS’,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

Japan's Economic Revitalisation Minister Ryosei Akazawa, the country's envoy for upcoming tariff talks with the US, speaks to the media ahead of his flight to the US, at Tokyo International Airport at Haneda on April 16, 2025.
Japan’s Economic Revitalisation Minister Ryosei Akazawa, the country’s envoy for upcoming tariff talks with the US, speaks to the media ahead of his flight to the US, at Tokyo International Airport at Haneda on April 16, 2025.JIJI Press/AFP via Getty Images
US President Donald Trump standing at a podium, presenting the Commander in Chief Trophy to US Navy Midshipmen in the East Room of the White House.
Trump praised the upcoming talks in a Truth Social post Wednesday.WILL OLIVER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

“I will attend the meeting, along with Treasury & Commerce Secretaries. Hopefully something can be worked out which is good (GREAT!) for Japan and the USA!”

It comes a day after the Trump administration said it had been presented with offers from at least 15 nations for bespoke trade deals following the president’s announcement last week of a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs.

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