Japan, Malaysia speed up tariff talks with US

Japanese Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization Ryosei Akazawa has been appointed as trade negotiator with the U.S. on tariff issues, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the top government spokesman, said on Tuesday.

The appointment came hours after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in their phone talks on April 7 to continue bilateral tariff negotiations through their ministers.

Ishiba is considering another visit to the U.S. for discussions with U.S. President Trump "at the most appropriate timing", with progress in ministerial-level talks being a key consideration, Hayashi said.

Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was assigned to lead trade talks with Japan, said in a statement on social media X the same day that he intended to negotiate with his Japanese counterpart not only on tariffs but also exchange rates.

Hayashi said that Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato will be in charge of negotiations with the US Treasury Secretary regarding the exchange rate issue.

Also on Tuesday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that the country will send officials to the U.S. to initiate discussions on the 24% tariffs recently imposed on goods imported from the Southeast Asian country.

Speaking at an investment conference, Anwar said that Malaysia’s trade with the U.S. has long been a model of mutual gain, thus the new tariffs might have a negative impact on both economies.

The PM said that Malaysia will act through quiet dialogue on a constructive basis, and affirmed that it will coordinate with ASEAN countries - currently chaired by Malaysia - to organize a delegation to the U.S. for negotiations.