Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba fields questions from reporters following the second round of Japan-U.S. ministerial-level talks on tariff measures on May 2. (Takeshi Iwashita)

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is pushing back his deadline for an agreement over U.S. tariffs to early July, apparently hoping to gain some sort of leverage over U.S. President Donald Trump, sources said.

Early July is also the expected time when the Upper House election campaign will kick off, and Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party is in need of something positive, like a trade agreement, to present to voters.

The Ishiba administration initially intended to speed up the negotiating process, aiming for an agreement by mid-June, in light of how the tariffs have already hurt Japanese manufacturers, the Japanese government sources said.

However, Trump’s high tariffs have also raised prices in the United States.

The Ishiba government decided to assess how the U.S. government will respond to growing opposition to the tariffs among U.S. consumers, the sources said.

Japan’s chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, minister in charge of economic revitalization, has twice visited Washington for talks on the tariffs.

After Akazawa failed to gain a breakthrough on his second trip on May 1, Ishiba told those around him there is “no need to rush into an agreement,” according to sources.

He also emphasized he would never sign an agreement that one-sidedly went against Japanese interests.

Ishiba plans to visit the United States himself and hold direct talks with Trump to settle the tariff issue.

According to the sources, Ishiba intends to visit the United States around July 9, when the 90-day pause set by the U.S. administration for reciprocal tariffs will end.

Some in the Ishiba administration initially thought Japan would try to reach an agreement in mid-June, around the time of the G-7 summit to be held in Canada.

Trump had indicated at the first Japan-U.S. negotiations on April 16 that talks with Japan were a top priority, emphasizing his intention to quickly settle the issue.

A Foreign Ministry official said the Japanese side believed Trump wanted to tout an agreement with Japan at the G-7 summit. Therefore, the idea arose that Ishiba would visit the United States before the G-7 summit.

But many within the Ishiba administration now feel that criticism over the tariffs in the United States will escalate as the end of the pause period approaches. The Japanese officials hope such internal pressure will force Trump to ease up on the tariffs, including those imposed against Japan.

“Trump may change his response,” a high-ranking official of the Japanese government said.

The expected official start of the Upper House election campaign is July 3, about a week before the end of the pause period.

“It would be best if the agreement is reached around the time of the Upper House election,” a senior official in the Ishiba administration said.

If the administration can avoid the high U.S. reciprocal tariff or gain a reduction on the earlier levies, the LDP would have something to boast about in the election campaign.

But predicting a path toward agreement with the Trump administration, which has been highly inconsistent in its tariff policy, is never easy.

The U.S. side has also shown a reluctance to Japan’s demand for a withdrawal of tariffs on automobiles.

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