As his chief trade negotiator heads to the U.S. for talks with President Donald Trump’s administration, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is getting lots of advice, including from leaders of the main opposition parties, on how best to deal with Trump's demands — and not just on the threat of tariffs.
Comments from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Democratic Party for the People reflect both a sense of national crisis over the tariffs and the need for the opposition to show voters they are prepared to step in and deal with the U.S., should the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito coalition lose its majority in the July Upper House election.
CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda, who served as prime minister with the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan, is calling for a strategy toward the U.S. that emphasizes Japan’s commitment to multilateral, rather than just bilateral, free trade.
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