Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives at his office in Tokyo on March 27. (Takeshi Iwashita)

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he plans to speak with Donald Trump over the phone within days to discuss the U.S. president’s decision to slap Tokyo with new tariffs that threaten to wreck the Japanese economy.

Ishiba said April 5 he intends to “present a package of negotiating proposals” from the Japanese government and ask for a review of the measures.

The prime minister spoke to reporters in Osaka.

“It is no use asking only Japan to make an exception,” Ishiba said as he signaled his intention to put together a negotiating plan that also takes the global economy into account.

"If we are going to do this, we will make it a success,” he said.

Ishiba also said that he will “take all possible measures” to address domestic industries affected by the tariffs.

In the meantime, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on April 3 in Brussels, where he was visiting, and told him the tariff measures were “extremely regrettable.”

Trump announced increased tariffs on imports from around the world, including a 24 percent “reciprocal” tariff against Japan. He had already slapped Japan with a separate 25 percent duty on automobiles and auto parts.

 

Related News