Japan could hold a third round of tariff negotiations with the United States as early as Saturday, with top negotiator Ryosei Akazawa set to make a three-day visit to the country from Friday.

His travel plan was approved at Wednesday's board meeting of the Upper House's Rules and Administration Committee.

Japan and the U.S. remain apart on automobile tariffs and other matters. The focus of the third round of talks will likely be whether the two sides can make progress toward an early agreement between their leaders.

According to sources, economic revitalization minister Akazawa may meet mainly with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Akazawa's counterpart in the ministerial talks, will not be able to attend the envisioned meeting. If that turns out to be the case, Tokyo is poised to schedule a separate meeting with Bessent.

Ahead of the third round of talks, senior Japanese government officials, including those from the Foreign Ministry, went to Washington for working-level discussions with the U.S. that began on Monday. The two sides are believed to have narrowed down the areas for discussion at the upcoming meeting.

Akazawa is expected to again urge the U.S. to abolish President Donald Trump's tariff measures on Japan, such as additional levies on automobiles, steel and aluminum.

On the other hand, Washington has indicated that its focus will be what it calls reciprocal tariffs on imports from Japan.

In the last round of talks in Washington on May 1, the two sides agreed to hold intensive talks from as early as mid-May.

Source: The Japan Times

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