Trump Joins Tariff Talks With Japan    04/17 06:16

   President Donald Trump on Wednesday inserted himself directly into trade 
talks with Japanese officials, a sign of the high stakes for the United States 
after its tariffs rattled the economy and caused the administration to assure 
the public that it would quickly reach deals.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday inserted himself 
directly into trade talks with Japanese officials, a sign of the high stakes 
for the United States after its tariffs rattled the economy and caused the 
administration to assure the public that it would quickly reach deals.

   The Republican president attended the meeting alongside Treasury Secretary 
Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, top economic advisers with 
a central role in his trade and tariff policies.

   "Hopefully something can be worked out which is good (GREAT!) for Japan and 
the USA!" Trump wrote in a social media post ahead of the meeting.

   Afterward, he posted: "A Great Honor to have just met with the Japanese 
Delegation on Trade. Big Progress!"

   Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters Thursday in Tokyo that 
his chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, told him from Washington that the 
talks were "very candid and constructive."

   "Of course the talks are not easy, but President Trump stated his intention 
to make this negotiation a top priority," Ishiba said. "I believe we had talks 
that lead to a next step."

   Ishiba said he will closely watch how ministerial talks go and plans to 
visit Washington to meet with Trump at an appropriate time.

   Trump's choice to get directly involved in negotiations points to his desire 
to quickly finalize a slew of trade deals as China is pursuing its own set of 
agreements. It's an open test of Trump's reputation as a dealmaker as countries 
around the world seek to limit the potential damage unleashed by his import 
taxes.

   The sweeping tariffs that Trump announced on April 2 triggered panic in the 
financial markets and generated recession fears, causing the U.S. president to 
quickly put a partial 90-day hold on the import taxes and increase his already 
steep tariffs against China to as much as 145%.

   The pause temporarily spared Japan from 24% across-the-board tariffs, but 
there continues to be a 10% baseline tariff and a 25% tax on imported cars, 
auto parts, steel and aluminum exports.

   With Japan charging an average tax rate of 1.9% on other countries' goods 
and having a longstanding alliance with the U.S., the talks on Wednesday are a 
crucial indicator of whether the Trump administration can achieve a meaningful 
deal that reassures the markets, American voters and foreign allies.

   U.S. economic rival China, meanwhile, is trying to capitalize on the turmoil 
around Trump's announcements, with its leader, President Xi Jinping, touring 
nations of Southeast Asia and promoting his country as a more reliable trade 
partner.

   Japan is among the first countries to start open negotiations with the U.S. 
Trump and other administration officials have said the phones have been 
"ringing off the hook" with dozens of countries calling, eager to strike deals 
with a president who views himself as a master negotiator to avoid tariffs when 
the 90-day pause ends. Israel and Vietnam have offered to zero out their tariff 
rates, but Trump has been noncommittal as to whether that would be sufficient.

   On Thursday, Trump is scheduled to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia 
Meloni, who will likely be carrying messages on behalf of the European Union 
about how to resolve the tariffs Trump placed on the 27-state group.

   Still, the U.S. president may also be feeling increased domestic pressures 
to settle any tariffs as many voters say they returned Trump to the White House 
with the specific goal of improving the economy. California Gov. Gavin Newsom 
filed a lawsuit Wednesday that argues that Trump overstepped his authority by 
declaring an economic emergency to levy his tariffs, with the Democrat saying 
in a statement that the tariffs have caused economic chaos.

   Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that Trump's tariff 
policies would hurt the U.S. economy, a direct warning to a White House trying 
to sell the import taxes as a long-term positive for the country.

   "The level of tariff increases announced so far is significantly larger than 
anticipated, and the same is likely to be true of the economic effects which 
will include higher inflation and slower growth," Powell said at the Economic 
Club of Chicago.

   Japan, like many other nations trying to minimize the possible economic 
fallout from Trump's tariffs, has been scrambling to respond. It has set up a 
special task force to assess the impact of the tariffs and offer loans to 
anxious companies.

   Although Ishiba has been working hard to coax exemptions out of Trump, the 
government has said little officially on what concessions it might offer during 
these talks.

   Nor has the administration been transparent about its asks. The Trump 
administration is seeking to close the $68.5 billion trade deficit with Japan 
and seeking greater access for U.S. goods in foreign markets, yet the president 
has also insisted that tariff revenues can be used to pay down the federal 
budget deficit.

   "Japan is coming in today to negotiate Tariffs, the cost of military 
support, and 'TRADE FAIRNESS,'" Trump posted Wednesday.

   Japan has contended that Trump's tariff measures are likely to violate 
bilateral trade agreements or World Trade Organization rules. While Ishiba has 
said he opposes retaliatory tariffs, he also has said he is in no rush to push 
for a settlement because he doesn't want concessions.

   Xi, meanwhile, stopped in Malaysia on Wednesday and told its leader that 
China will be a collaborative partner and stand with its Southeast Asian 
neighbors after the global economic shocks.

   Xi is touring Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia this week on a trip that likely 
was planned before the tariffs' uncertainty but that he's also using to promote 
Beijing as a source of stability in the region and shore up relationships in 
that part of the world as he looks for ways to mitigate the 145% tariffs that 
Trump is keeping on China.

   "In the face of shocks to global order and economic globalization, China and 
Malaysia will stand with countries in the region to combat the undercurrents of 
geopolitical ... confrontation, as well as the counter-currents of 
unilateralism and protectionism," Xi said in remarks at a dinner with Malaysian 
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

   "Together, we will safeguard the bright prospects of our Asian family," he 
added.

   Xi has promised Malaysia and Vietnam greater access to Chinese markets on 
his visits, although few details were shared.

   In Washington, Trump has indicated that he also wants to discuss how much 
the Japanese contribute to the cost of U.S. troops stationed there, largely as 
a deterrent to China.

   Trump's demand for more defense spending concerns the Japanese government.

   Under its national security strategy, Japan aims to double annual defense 
spending to nearly $10 trillion, or 2% of GDP, in 2027, while there is a 
concern that Trump may ask for that to be increased to 3% of GDP. Japanese 
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Tuesday that the military budget for this 
year is about 1.8% of Japan's GDP.