The US and Japan plan to hold consultations next week ahead of the third round of tariff negotiations.

According to interviews with relevant sources, it has been learned that Japan and the United States are coordinating tariff negotiations and preparing for the implementation of working-level discussions next week. In preparation for the third round of ministerial-level negotiations, efforts to coordinate matters will be accelerated. The head of the Japanese side is Minister of Economic Revitalization Akira Amari, and the head of the US side is Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The ministerial meeting is expected to be scheduled after the G7 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting that Yellen will attend ends on the 23rd. In the working-level discussions, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will summarize the agenda for the ministerial-level negotiations. The G7 meeting is scheduled to be held in Canada from the 20th to the 22nd. The US has reached agreements to lower tariffs with the UK and China, and within the Japanese government there is an opinion that the "third round of Japan-US negotiations is a decisive opportunity". If progress is made in the ministerial-level negotiations, it is in sight for Japanese and American leaders to reach an agreement in June during the G7 summit. Japan is requesting the US to completely withdraw tariffs on automobiles and steel, as well as reciprocal tariffs, but it is expected that the negotiation process will face difficulties. If the negotiations drag on, industries, particularly the automobile industry, are likely to suffer serious blows, with prospects not looking optimistic. On the 15th, the Japanese government held a working group meeting on negotiations with the United States and support for domestic industries at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. Amari stated to the media, "We will strive to achieve a win-win result."