As Tokyo seeks to avert the US' threat to impose tariffs of up to 35 per cent on Japanese goods, Prime Minister Ishiba stressed that Japan, as the biggest investor nation in the US economy, should be treated differently from other countries.

There is a goods trade deficit with Japan because the U.S. imports more than it exports, which Trump views as a sign of unfairness in the trading arrangements. In 2024, federal trade data shows the U.S. goods trade deficit with Japan was $68.5 billion.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a "30% or 35%" tariff on Japan if a deal between the two countries is not reached before a deadline next week. That would be well above the 24% tariff Japan was hit with as part of Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" on 2 April, when he announced steep import duties on countries around the world.