U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday but will not discuss tariffs, despite Japan’s efforts to restart stalled negotiations ahead of a looming Aug.

Asian countries are offering to buy more U.S. liquefied natural gas to ease trade tensions with the Trump administration.

More than two-thirds of Japanese firms believe the government should compile an extra budget later this year to mitigate the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's new tariffs and rising prices, a Reuters survey showed on Thursday.

Japan told Group of 20 countries that tariffs aren’t the right way to fix imbalances, and that countries facing such situations need to address them through domestic efforts, according to Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato.

Japan’s core inflation rate fell to 3.3% in June, offering some relief after hitting a 29-month high. The core inflation figure excludes fresh food, which fluctuates more due to weather and supply conditions.

Unlike the European Union, the Japanese government has made no indication it plans to impose any kind of reciprocal tariff on the U.S.

Japan has worked hard to attract foreigners to boost its sluggish economy but now the perception there are too many has prompted the creation of a new task force, as competition for votes heats up ahead of Sunday’s national election.

Major Pacific countries told by the US to prepare for conflict as regional tensions continue to rise over threat to Taiwan

Throughout the spring, Ishiba battled to reach a deal on the government’s budget and to assuage concerns among the public about the rising cost of living. But a weak political base is not Ishiba’s only problem.