Japanese Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru is arranging to meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Tokyo on Friday, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Tuesday, ahead of an August 1 deadline to strike a trade deal with the United States.

Bessent is set to travel to Japan to attend the U.S. national day at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, scheduled for July 19, skipping a concurrent Group of 20 finance officials meeting in South Africa, U.S. Treasury said last week.

Bessent would lead the U.S. delegation, which will also include Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, according to the White House.

Japan’s top tariff negotiator AKAZAWA Ryosei is also expected to meet with Bessent, Yomiuri added, citing an unnamed government source. Despite seven U.S. visits since April, Akazawa has yet to secure a trade agreement with Washington.

Reuters has not independently confirmed these planned meetings during Bessent’s Japan trip.

This would mark the first high-level meeting between Tokyo and Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump last week sent a letter to Japan raising tariffs on Japanese imports to 25% from August 1.

Bessent’s visit comes at a politically sensitive time for Ishiba, just days before the country’s upper house election on Sunday, in which recent polls suggest that his ruling coalition is on the verge of losing the majority.

Having already lost the lower house majority in October, a second electoral defeat could significantly undermine Ishiba’s political standing while potentially strengthening opposition parties that advocate for tax cuts and looser monetary policy. 

Reuters