Japan’s Trade Envoy May Leverage US Defense Purchases in Tariff Talks

Ryosei Akazawa is set to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington on May 30.

Japanese Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, on April 18, 2025. Issei Kato/Reuters

Japan is considering using the buying of American defense products as leverage in trade talks, Tokyo’s top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, said on May 29.

Akazawa, Tokyo’s economic revitalization minister, is bound for the United States for the fourth round of negotiations between Tokyo and Washington on May 30.