Aso Voices Discontent with New Japan-U.S. Trade Talks

June 8, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso expressed on Friday his discontent over new trade talks led by Japanese economic minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, expected to start as early as July.

Concrete discussions in the talks "will take time," Aso said, noting that the Office of the USTR is understaffed.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump reached an agreement on the launch of the trade talks during a summit on Thursday.

On requests from the United States for reductions in its trade deficit with Japan, which Washington hopes to achieve in the new talks, Aso said that no progress has been made for several months, despite negotiations between the two countries.

"I'm not even sure that (the United States) is taking (the talks) seriously," he said, hinting at displeasure with the country's lack of preparation.

Aso also touched on claims that the Ministry of Finance's tampering and disposal of official documents related to the controversial discount state land sale to Moritomo Gakuen, a school operator once linked to Abe's wife, Akie, were prompted by the prime minister's remark made in parliament in February 2017.

He emphasized again that he does not think Abe's statement sparked the actions and reiterated that he is not considering stepping down from his post as minister.

In the parliamentary statement, Abe said he would resign if he or his wife was proved to have been involved in the shady land sale. Jiji Press