Japan Calls on US to Refrain from Increasing Tariffs Before Leaders’ Summit

(MENAFN) Japan has urged the United States to refrain from raising tariffs on Japanese products ahead of an upcoming meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump later this month, according to reports.

The appeal was made during discussions held Friday in Washington, D.C. between Japan’s minister responsible for economy, trade, and industry, Ryosei Akazawa, and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Reports indicated that Akazawa asked American officials not to impose tariffs on Japanese products beyond the levels that were agreed upon last year.

Following the roughly two-hour meeting, Akazawa told reporters that the conversation also addressed potential cooperation and investment initiatives between the two countries. Areas discussed reportedly included energy development, supplies of critical minerals, and collaboration in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The discussions come ahead of a planned meeting at the White House on March 19, where Takaichi and Trump are expected to hold direct talks.

Tariff concerns resurfaced last month after the US Supreme Court invalidated a broad set of global tariffs introduced by Trump. Shortly afterward, the US president announced a new tariff policy establishing a 10% rate on most imported goods worldwide, with plans to increase it to 15% under a separate legal framework.

Akazawa stated that he requested the US refrain from applying the higher tariff levels to Japanese imports, referencing the agreement reached between the two countries in July of last year.

Under that arrangement, Japan committed to investing approximately $550 billion in key strategic industries across the United States in exchange for lower tariff rates on its exports.

MENAFN07032026000045017281ID1110830921