Japan’s Business Leaders Welcome Stability After Ishiba-Trump Summit

11 Feb, 2025

The Japanese business community reacted positively to the first summit between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump, expressing relief that no difficult trade deals were proposed. However, concerns about future economic policies and trade relations remain.

Masakazu Tokura, chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), emphasized the significance of the meeting in strengthening Japan-U.S. relations in both security and economic sectors. Similarly, Ken Kobayashi, head of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, highlighted the summit’s role in building trust between the two nations’ leaders.

Despite this optimism, Trump’s focus on reducing the U.S. trade deficit with Japan has raised concerns, particularly regarding potential tariffs. A major Japanese automaker official warned that tariffs could negatively impact exports to the U.S. and called for government measures, such as tax cuts, to support domestic sales.

Ayako Hirofuji, CFO of Shiseido, acknowledged that tariffs could affect businesses importing raw materials from the U.S. and China but noted that the immediate impact would likely be limited. Moving forward, Japanese businesses remain cautious, closely monitoring developments in trade policies and economic relations.

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