Trump Reported to Wait until after Japan Election for Trade Deal

May 26, 2019

Tokyo- U.S. President Donald Trump, now on a four-day visit to Japan, said on Twitter on Sunday that he will wait until after a Japanese parliamentary election this summer, for concluding the two countries' ongoing trade negotiations.

"Much will wait until after" the election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, he stated, apparently signaling his stance of not making haste for now in the trade negotiations in consideration of possible impacts on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Trump also tweeted: "Great progress being made in our trade negotiations with Japan. Agriculture and beef heavily in play."



The president posted the Twitter messages apparently around the time when he was returning to his hotel in Tokyo after playing golf and having lunch with Abe in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, earlier in the day.

This suggests that the two leaders may have had discussions on bilateral trade issues during the golf trip, sources said.

In the trade talks, the United States has been urging Japan to cut or eliminate its tariffs on U.S. farm products at an early time. In the Trump administration, there also is an idea of seeking a cap on the number of Japanese automobiles exported to the United States.

The Abe administration could suffer a blow in the Upper House election if it makes concessions in the agricultural and automotive sectors, pundits say.

Abe and Trump are set to hold summit talks in Tokyo on Monday.

At a dinner party with representatives from the Japanese business circle on Saturday, Trump said, "Japan has had a substantial advantage (in trade with the United States) for many, many years, but we'd get a little bit fair." He also expressed his hope to see major progress in the bilateral trade talks in the next few months. Jiji Press