Japan's Deputy Prime Minister Aims to 'Expand Trade' With US
Speaking at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Taro Aso called for increased trade with the U.S. while a Chamber official said signing a trade deal with Japan is a “priority.”
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Aso and Chamber Executive Vice President Myron Brilliant spoke briefly in front of reporters on April 11 before meeting to discuss U.S.-Japan relations, but did not take questions. Speaking for a little more than two minutes, Aso said he is optimistic about trade talks between the two nations. “Japan and U.S. relations have become stronger than ever before,” he said. “We will further expand trade and investment between Japan and the United States.” Brilliant called the relationship “strong, deep and multifaceted,” adding that President Donald Trump “has made clear that deepening relations with Japan is a priority.”
Brilliant also broached the subject of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Trump withdrew the U.S. from in 2017. “We recognize that a U.S.-Japan trade agreement is not a substitute for TPP. We’re not here to relive the issue of TPP,” he said. “But we are here to look at ways that we should be reinvesting in ambitious and creative ways.”
Brilliant said the Chamber opposes “efforts in the United States and elsewhere” to impose tariffs on steel, aluminum and cars. “We understand the significant drag and negative impact tariffs can have on the United States, on our consumers, on our business community, and certainly on our relations with countries as complex and multifaceted as Japan.”