EXCLUSIVE: Aso, Mnuchin to Meet in Washington on April 25

April 19, 2019

Tokyo- Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso is planning to visit Washington on April 25 for talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Jiji Press learned on Thursday.

A proposed provision aimed at preventing competitive currency devaluations will likely be high on the agenda as Mnuchin is eager to include it in a trade agreement currently being negotiated between the two countries.

Japanese economic and fiscal policy minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer met in Washington Monday and Tuesday in the first round of bilateral trade talks.

In February 2017, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed that their finance ministers would discuss currencies.

The U.S. side is seeking to make any currency provision legally binding, but Tokyo is wary that such a move could undermine the Bank of Japan's ability to manage monetary policy. Jiji Press