Trump Wants to See Japan-U.S. Trade Deal in August

May 27, 2019

Tokyo- Visiting U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday expressed a wish to strike an agreement in bilateral trade negotiations in August.

"We will be announcing some things, probably in August, that will be very good for both countries," Trump said at the beginning of his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Japan will hold an election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament, possibly in July.

The two countries "will accelerate their discussions based on the Japan-U.S. relations of trust," Abe told a joint news conference with Trump after the summit, which lasted three hours including a lunch session.

At the start of the summit, Abe said he wants to show people at home and abroad that the strong bonds of the Japan-U.S. alliance remains intact in the new Japanese era of Reiwa, which started upon the Imperial succession May 1.

Trump said the alliance is stronger than ever.

The president also said he wants to correct a trade imbalance between the United States and Japan.

Japan buys a lot of defense equipment from the United States, and such equipment made by the United States is the best in the world, Trump said.

The president expressed confidence that Japan will be able to contribute to reducing the U.S. trade deficit by buying more U.S. defense equipment.

Regarding Iran, Trump showed his support for Abe's policy toward the Middle East country, which the prime minister plans to visit in June to help ease tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Abe said Japan wants to work closely with the United States in tackling various problems facing the international community, such as North Korea, and achieving success at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, western Japan, in June.

In Hanoi in February, Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended their second summit without an agreement on Pyongyang's denuclearization.

Amid a stalemate over U.S.-N. Korea negotiations, North Korea fired short-range ballistic missiles earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Abe has recently expressed his readiness to hold a meeting with Kim without conditions.

At Monday's summit, Trump threw his full support behind Abe's stance and promised to give every possible assistance.

In the joint news conference, Trump expressed hope that North Korea will move toward denuclearization.

This was the 11th summit between Abe and Trump and the first since the one held in Washington in late April.

Trump is visiting Japan as the Asian country's first state guest since the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito. Jiji Press