June 18, 2025
BANFF/KANANASKIS – Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba failed to reach an agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump over the U.S. president’s tariff policy at a meeting in Canada on Monday, as differences still remain between Tokyo and Washington, mainly regarding tariffs on automobiles.
The two leaders only agreed to have their negotiating teams continue discussions.
Ishiba had hoped to reach a tentative agreement with Trump during the meeting. However, since no agreement was achieved, the timing for when a deal will materialize is uncertain.
The meeting took place in the western Canadian region of Kananaskis on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of Seven leaders, and it lasted about 30 minutes.
“Points that the two sides cannot find common ground on still remain,” Ishiba told reporters after the meeting. “So, we have not reached an agreement on the package as a whole.” Ishiba did not specify the differences that persist, only saying, “I cannot comment on that.”
The prime minister said that future talks would focus on “making adjustments to reach an agreement that can benefit both Japan and the United States,” emphasizing that achieving a change in the United States’ tariff policy on “automobiles is a major national interest for Japan.” Ishiba added, “We will make every effort to protect our national interests.”
Tokyo has presented a set of proposals, including an increase in imports of U.S. agricultural products and stronger economic security cooperation between the two countries, in order to draw concessions from Washington during the series of tariff negotiations. However, the two sides have been unable to agree on the structure for revising additional tariffs on automobiles, a situation that is believed to have been one of the reasons for the failure in the Ishiba-Trump talks.
The Japanese and U.S. governments have held six rounds of ministerial-level talks. Within the Japanese government, there is a growing view that the final decision rests with Trump. Given that the talks, which the prime minister described as “frank and open,” failed to gain a positive response from Trump, Tokyo is likely to be forced to rethink its strategy.
Ishiba and Trump are scheduled to attend a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit to be held in the Netherlands on June 24 and 25, but it is unclear whether they will be able to secure time for bilateral talks. The prime minister said that it is difficult to set a deadline for reaching an agreement because it depends on the other side, indicating his intention to continue negotiations without setting a deadline.
Also during the talks, the two leaders reconfirmed their commitment to promoting the free and open Indo-Pacific vision and strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance.
After the talks, when asked by reporters about the meeting with Ishiba, Trump replied that they were good.
