Japan was set to dispatch its chief tariff negotiator to the United States for an eighth round of ministerial-level talks but called it off after being forced into a waiting game by the White House.

There is a goods trade deficit with Japan because the U.S. imports more than it exports, which Trump views as a sign of unfairness in the trading arrangements. In 2024, federal trade data shows the U.S. goods trade deficit with Japan was $68.5 billion.

US President Donald Trump cast doubt on reaching a trade deal with Japan, a day after threatening higher tariffs on Japanese exports to the United States, claiming the country won’t buy American rice.