WASHINGTON – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and US President Donald Trump held a phone call on Friday (June 13) in which they discussed tariffs and Israel’s attacks against Iran, the Japanese foreign ministry said.
Why it’s important
Trump has sought to leverage his tariff threats to strike bilateral trade deals with many countries, including US ally Japan. Japan will remain steadfast in its request for a review of US tariffs and would not accept a partial agreement, Tokyo’s chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said on Friday.
On the diplomatic front, the two leaders agreed remain in close communication on Israel’s strikes against Iran that began late on Thursday US time and on Friday Middle East and Asia time.
Japan has condemned Israel’s strikes by calling them escalatory while the US has called those a form of “unilateral action” and said Washington was not involved.
Key quotes
“Prime Minister Ishiba reiterated Japan’s views on the US tariff measures, taking into account the results of the Japan-US Consultations on the US Tariff Measures to date,” the Japanese foreign ministry said.
It added that the two leaders “concurred to accelerate the consultations between the ministers in charge in order to achieve a mutually beneficial agreement.”
A White House official confirmed from the US side the call had taken place on Friday.
The Japanese foreign ministry added that the two leaders agreed on the importance of peace and stability in the Middle East.
Context
Trump and Ishiba are expected to meet in Canada on the sidelines of the Group of Seven meeting next week.
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