Trump Calls for Japan-U.S. Trade to Be Fairer

May 25, 2019

Tokyo--Visiting U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday voiced his hopes to make trade between his country and Japan fairer.

"Japan has had a substantial advantage for many, many years, but we'd get a little bit fair," he said during a dinner party with representatives from the Japanese business world at the official residence of U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty in Tokyo.

Through the ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries, "We hope to address the trade imbalance, remove the barriers to United States exports, and ensure fairness and reciprocity in our relationship," Trump stressed.

"We hope to have several further announcements soon and some very big ones over the next few months," he said.

The president arrived in Japan earlier on Saturday, kicking off a four-day visit as a state guest. He will hold summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday.

At the dinner party, Trump also thanked Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda and other Japanese business executives for investment in the United States.

"Japanese investment to the United States supports nearly a million jobs," Trump said.

He said he hopes that U.S.-Japan economic relations will be deeper and stronger in the new Japanese era of Reiwa, which started on May 1.

About 40 business leaders, including Softbank Group Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son, attended the dinner party. Jiji Press