Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed Sunday to support the United States in efforts to revive its shipbuilding industry amid ongoing bilateral negotiations over U.S. President Donald Trump’s new tariffs.
“The government wants to cooperate in the shipbuilding sector,” Ishiba told reporters in Kyoto Prefecture, speaking at a time when Japan has been seeking full removal of the tariffs.
“Japan has a substantial advantage in terms of (building) icebreakers. Icebreakers are one key point of cooperation,” he said.
The prime minister also noted that the United States is interested in where its military ships can be repaired overseas.
Japan is weighing cooperation in the shipbuilding industry as a bargaining chip in the tariff talks, as Trump has pledged to revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding capacity amid China’s dominance in the industry.
Japan has asked its key security ally to withdraw higher tariffs on cars, key car parts, and steel and aluminum, as well as “reciprocal” tariff, part of which has been paused through early July. Trump has imposed the measures in a bid to reduce U.S. trade deficits.
