Trump, Ishiba meet with no pact on tariffs

ISTANBUL

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and US President Donald Trump met in Canada on Monday with no end result pact on tariffs, while negotiations on levies will continue between the two sides.

The two leaders had "candid" discussions on the US tariffs, said a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry, adding that Ishiba and Trump agreed that "they would instruct the ministers in charge to further advance their consultation."

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 summit on Monday to discuss the tariff policy, which made little headway in bridging gaps over the simmering issue.

"We have yet to reach a deal as a package because we remain apart over certain aspects," Ishiba told reporters after a 30-minute meeting held in Kananaskis, according to the Tokyo-based Kyodo News.

Ishiba said that any potential deal should serve the interests of both Japan and the US, adding that bilateral ministerial talks will continue to seek such an agreement.

The US and Japan are still far from a "mutually beneficial" deal on Washington's "reciprocal" tariffs, said Ishiba.

The meeting gave a glimpse into the difficulty faced by the longtime allies in meeting halfway.

While the US has given Japan and other countries a 90-day reprieve from "reciprocal" tariffs, Trump's imposition of tariffs on everything from cars and auto parts to steel and aluminum has raised concerns about the export-driven Japanese economy.

"We should not say how much progress we have made because an agreement as a package is everything," Ishiba said. "We negotiated over the possibility (of a deal) until the last minute."

Trump, for his part, told reporters after his second face-to-face summit with Ishiba that it went "well," without elaborating.

Ishiba and Trump additionally agreed upon enhancing their alliance to "promote a free and open Indo-Pacific and to further contribute to the peace and stability of the world" during the meeting, according to the statement.