Ishiba, Ruling LDP Rocked by Trump Tariff Decision as Election Looms

   Tokyo, July 9 (Jiji Press)--U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 25 pct tariff on imports from Japan from August has sent a shockwave to the administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his Liberal Democratic Party ahead of the election for the House of Councillors later this month.
   "It's truly regrettable," Ishiba said at a government meeting Tuesday to discuss measures to cope with Trump's new tariff, which is slightly higher than the initially announced 24 pct.
   "Toward a new deadline set for Aug. 1, we will have more talks with the United States to strike an agreement," he told reporters after the meeting.
   Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa, known as Ishiba's right-hand man, had intense talks with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other senior White House officials, but his seven U.S. visits in total for the negotiations have failed to produce fruit.
   "At this juncture, the impact (of Trump's decision on the July 20 election) is huge," said a middle-career LDP lawmaker in the upper chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament. "(Voters) might think Ishiba is not capable of bringing the negotiations to a successful end."

(2025/07/09-16:39)