Ishiba: Cooperation in shipbuilding to be focal point in tariff talks; progress seems lacking on auto tariffs

Signage for Nippon Steel Corp. outside the company's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday, May 26, 2025. After more than 17 months of lobbying and close-fought negotiations to secure control of United States Steel Corp., Nippon Steel appeared on Friday to have received a presidential blessing. Days later, however, investors, executives and diplomats are still unsure of what exactly the US president endorsed. - Bloomberg

TOKYO: Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday (May 25) he considers cooperation with the United States in the shipbuilding industry, such as on repairing US military vessels and the joint development of icebreakers, to be a focal point in the Japan-US tariff negotiations.

Ryosei Akazawa, economic revitalisation minister and Japan’s top tariff negotiator, returned to Japan on Sunday after taking part in the third round of ministerial-level talks in the United States and reported the talks’ progress to Ishiba and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo.