TOKYO: Japan’s top tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa “strongly” urged the United States to revise the presidential order on the levies at his meetings with top U.S. officials in Washington, the Japanese government said on Friday.
Japan has been seeking clarification, as a lack of written confirmation of the deal it struck with the U.S. last month has led to confusion over whether President Donald Trump’s tariffs that took effect on Thursday will be stacked on top of existing levies.
Akazawa held talks with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for three hours and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for 30 minutes on Thursday U.S. time, the Japanese government said.
In the meetings, Akazawa also urged the U.S. to issue a presidential order to lower auto tariffs on Japan, it said.
Under last month’s deal, the U.S. agreed to cut tariffs on Japanese car imports to 15% from levies totalling 27.5% previously but did not announce a timeframe for the change.
Japan “will continue to maintain close communication with the U.S. side at various levels,“ the government said, without clarifying the U.S. response to its latest requests. – Reuters
