President Donald Trump touted "big progress" in tariff talks with Japan on Wednesday (April 16), in one of the first rounds of face-to-face negotiations since his barrage of duties on global imports roiled markets and stoked recession fears.

Washington

Donald Trump has signed an order to impose tariffs imports into the U.S. from countries including China, Mexico and Canada.

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President Donald Trump has announced "big progress" in tariff discussions with Japan, marking an important development in ongoing trade talks. The discussions represent one of the early face-to-face negotiations following the U.S. imposition of comprehensive trade duties, largely paused for 90 days. These negotiations were part of ongoing efforts to address trade and investment issues. Despite Japan's intention to keep the talks limited, Trump included the topic of Japan's payments for hosting U.S. military troops on the agenda.

During the meeting, Trump's counterpart was Ryosei Akazawa, a close associate of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Akazawa expressed the significance of the meeting as a priority for both countries, especially given the limited number of meetings Trump can attend amidst widespread talks involving numerous nations. However, Prime Minister Ishiba in Tokyo expressed reservations, acknowledging the challenges ahead in these negotiations.

Earlier in the month, President Trump had criticized Japan for an alleged 700 percent tariff on rice, though Japan contests this figure. The issue of auto tariffs is a sensitive one for Japan, given the significant portion of Japan's exports reliant on the U.S. market. Trump's active involvement in the talks underscores his intent to exert tight control over negotiations, particularly as he prepares for discussions with leaders of other nations, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloney and the finance minister of South Korea, in the coming days.



Trump jumps into Japan tariff talks, claims 'big progress'

U.S. President Donald Trump touted big progress in tariff talks with Japan on Wednesday, after one of the first face-to-face negotiations since he imposed sweeping global duties earlier this month, most of which he later paused for 90 days. Japan had not expected the president to get involved in Wednesday's talks, which it had been hoping to limit to trade and investment matters. But when Trump announced his involvement early in the day, he said the discussion agenda included the amount Japan pays towards hosting U.S. troops. Afterwards, Trump said on social media that meeting the Japanese delegation had been a quote great honor, and that big progress had been made without giving details. Opposite Trump in the meeting was Ryosei Akazawa, a close confidant of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. He spoke to reporters after the talks. Meetings with Japan are a priority. When Trump says that there are 70 or 100 countries in line, there's no way the president can attend all of them. So the talks with Japan are a priority. I think his presence is a clear sign of that. Ishiba sounded a more cautious tone speaking to reporters later in Tokyo, saying that negotiations going forward, quote, will not be easy. Trump earlier this month blasted Japan for what he said was a 700 percent tariff on rice, a figure Tokyo disputes. Levies on autos are particularly painful for Japan, as cars make up nearly a third of the country's shipments to the U.S., its biggest export market. Trump's involvement is a potential sign he wants to keep tight control over negotiations with dozens of countries expected over coming days and weeks. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloney heads to the White House on Thursday to discuss tariffs imposed on the European Union with Trump. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besent has invited South Korea's finance minister to Washington for talks next week.

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