Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s surprise resignation over the weekend is not expected to affect the trade deal with the United States, which has taken shape over many months of the negotiation in the form of executive orders and agreements both verbal and written.
“I seriously doubt that a new prime minister will repudiate Ishiba's deal or ask for renegotiation,” said Richard Katz, an economist and author specializing in the Japanese economy.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order that reduces U.S. tariffs on Japanese automobiles from 27.5% to 15%, while Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, signed a memorandum of understanding with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick outlining Japan’s $550 billion investment pledge.
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