Ishiba plans to discuss US tariffs on Japan with Bessent this week

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is arranging to meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Tokyo on Friday, the Yomiuri newspaper noted, ahead of an August 1 deadline to strike a trade deal with the United States, Report informs via Reuters.

A separate Yomiuri report said European Union leaders will visit Ishiba later this month to sign an "alliance" advocating global free trade, seeking multilateral ties as US tariffs add to trade risks.

Bessent is set to travel to Japan to attend the US national day at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, scheduled for July 19, skipping a concurrent Group of 20 finance officials meeting in South Africa, US Treasury said last week.

Bessent would lead the US delegation, which will also include Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, according to the White House.

Japan's top tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is also expected to meet with Bessent, Yomiuri added, citing an unnamed government source. Despite seven US visits since April, Akazawa has yet to secure a trade agreement with Washington.