According to a report on the 24th, multiple current and former Japanese government officials revealed that, considering the crucial nature of Sino-Japanese trade relations, Japan intends to resist any attempt by the US to include it in a so - called economic anti - China camp.
Like many countries and regions, Japan is trying to gain permanent exemption from the Trump administration's tariff policies by addressing US concerns in bilateral trade areas such as automobiles and agriculture.
Anonymous officials said that Japan is working hard to reach an agreement with the US before the 90 - day tariff suspension period ends. One source said that Japan hopes to finalize the agreement around the G7 summit in June.
Meanwhile, Japanese officials said that Japan does not want to weaken its economic and trade exchanges with China due to US pressure, as China is not only Japan's largest trading partner but also an important source of its goods and raw materials.
The report said that although the US has not put forward specific requirements to Japan, Japanese officials said that if such a situation occurs, Japan will give priority to its own interests.
One official added that Japan has repeatedly told China that its stance on chip - related exports and semiconductor restrictions is not completely in line with that of the US.
Currently, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not commented on this.
Before the first round of Japan - US tariff negotiations, the US official in charge of trade negotiations with Japan and other countries said that the US will seek to reach agreements with its allies, "and then we can engage with China as a group".
Subsequently, it was revealed that the Trump administration is preparing to pressure countries hoping to obtain US tariff exemptions during the tariff negotiations to restrict their trade with China, in order to strengthen the US's bargaining power in trade negotiations with China.
In response, Japan believes that any US demand for Japan to reduce its economic and trade exchanges with China may cause a major blow to the Japanese economy.
"If Japan's trade with both the US and China declines, it will be very, very bad for Japan," said a professor. "If the decision - makers propose to 'give up China', the business community will definitely oppose it."
