日本首席谈判代表Ryosei Akazawa在华盛顿举行的最新一轮讨论后表示,日本计划在6月前与美国敲定贸易协定,谈判预计将在5月中旬加强。这次会议包括财政部长贝森特和贸易代表杰米森·格里尔等美国高级官员,被描述为“坦率和开放”,尽管许多问题仍未得到解决。赤泽重申了东京的观点,即特朗普总统的关税措施“非常令人遗憾”,并敦促重新考虑。与此同时,日本财务大臣加藤胜信(Katsunobu Kato)表示,日本持有的大量美国国债可以作为讨价还价的筹码,他说:“它确实作为一张牌存在”,尽管目前尚不清楚它是否会被使用。这一立场与执政党官员此前采取的立场不同。赤泽指出,没有讨论外汇储备、外汇政策、国家安全和中国问题。在7月关税暂停结束之前,可能会在6月的七国集团峰会上达成协议。
Japan aims to finalize a trade agreement with the U.S. by June, with talks expected to intensify in mid-May, according to Japan’s chief negotiator Ryosei Akazawa after the latest round of discussions in Washington. The meeting, which included top U.S. officials such as Treasury Secretary Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, was described as "frank and open," though many issues stay unresolved. Akazawa reiterated Tokyo’s view that President Trump’s tariff measures are "extremely regrettable" and urged their reconsideration. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato suggested Japan’s large U.S. Treasury holdings could serve as a bargaining chip, saying, “It does exist as a card,” though it’s unclear if it will be used. This stance differs from a previous position taken by ruling party officials. Akazawa noted that foreign reserves, FX policy, national security, and China were not discussed. A deal may be reached at the G7 summit in June before the tariff pause ends in July.