President Donald Trump of the United States on Wednesday said he will personally attend a meeting of Japanese and US trade officials.
This is a surprise move that underlines his eagerness to oversee negotiations sparked by his barrage of tariffs on global imports.
Tokyo, Japan's capital, had sent its economic revitalisation minister Ryosei Akazawa, to kick-start the talks, expecting to face Trump's Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, in Washington, and had hoped to limit the scope of discussions to trade and investment matters.
However, Trump weighed in early on Wednesday, saying he would also be there to cover issues including the amount Tokyo pays towards the cost of hosting U.S. troops in Japan, the biggest overseas deployment globally.
“Japan is coming in today to negotiate Tariffs, the cost of military support, and TRADE FAIRNESS.
“I will attend the meeting, along with Treasury & Commerce Secretaries. Hopefully something can be worked out which is good (GREAT!) for Japan and the USA,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
