Minister Akazawa Holds Meeting with Mr. Howard W. Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce of the United States of America

On Friday, March 6 (local time), Minister Akazawa held a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick for 120 minutes at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

During the meeting, regarding the new tariff measures imposed by the United States, the two sides reaffirmed that both Japan and the United States will continue to implement last year's agreement.

In this regard, Minister Akazawa also requested the following points:

1. 1With respect to tariffs based on Section 122 of the Trade Act, Japan will not be treated less favorably than the Japan-U.S. agreement reached last year.
2. Raising tariffs to 15% under Section 122 of the Trade Act as suggested by the United States will not include Japan.
3. Regarding measures based on Section 301 of the Trade Act, which the United States has announced to consider invoking, Japan will not be treated less favorably than the Japan-U.S. agreement reached last year.
4. The United States will not impose additional measures on Japan beyond those agreed upon between Japan and the United States last year.

In addition, with an eye on Prime Minister Takaichi's upcoming visit to the United States, the two leaders discussed specific cooperation and collaboration between Japan and the United States in the strategically important fields of energy, critical minerals, and AI. Furthermore, they held in-depth discussions on the Strategic Investment Initiative between and confirmed that they will continue to work closely together to formulate future projects.

Divisions in Charge

• Americas Division, Trade Policy Bureau

• Trade Finance Division, Trade Policy Bureau