EXCLUSIVE: Japan-U.S. Tariff Deal Signing Ceremony Being Planned

Tokyo, Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)–A signing ceremony for the Japan-U.S. tariff agreement will be held soon, U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass said at an event hosted by the Research Institute of Japan, a Jiji Press affiliate, on Monday. According to diplomatic sources, Tokyo and Washington are preparing to hold the ceremony during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first visit to Japan in his second term, scheduled for early next week. Japan’s 550-billion-dollar investment will help revive declining U.S. industries and enable both nations to take the lead in key sectors, Glass said. The two countries will also aim to conclude an agreement on cybersecurity, he added. The Trump administration has imposed a 15 pct reciprocal tariff and a 15 pct automobile tariff on imports from Japan. Given that Japan’s new prime minister will be elected on Tuesday, Glass said that Trump “would love” to have a relationship similar to the one he had with the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “We’re really looking forward to meeting and working with” the new prime minister, Glass said. Many members of the Trump administration are expected to accompany the president on his three-day trip to Japan from Oct. 27, the ambassador added. “We face a China that is determined to dominate militarily, economically and technologically,” Glass said. He said that much of modern military technology, including F-35 stealth fighter jets and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Mogami-class frigates, relies on rare earths controlled by China, expressing concern over Beijing’s recent tightening of export restrictions on these metals. “Part of Japan’s investment in America will be directed to reinvigorate and develop American mining and ore processing,” he said, explaining that this will enable the United States and Japan to be “free from Chinese coercion.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]