Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio expressed his firm stance during the 30th "Future of Asia" international forum held in Tokyo on Thursday (29th), pledging to defend the rules-based free and multilateral trade system and committed to promoting the expansion of major trade organizations in the Asia-Pacific region. This comes at a time when US tariff policies have sparked global trade tensions.

According to reports, Kishida criticized the US tariff policy, stating, "High tariffs cannot bring economic prosperity; prosperity gained at the expense of others or other countries' interests cannot build a solid economy." He emphasized that Japan hopes to cooperate with the US in investment, job creation, and high-quality manufacturing, promoting mutual prosperity between the US and the globe.

At the time Kishida made these remarks, Japan's chief tariff negotiator Akazawa Ryo was on his way to Washington to begin the fourth round of negotiations, aiming to persuade the US to withdraw the recently imposed tariffs. Currently, negotiations have not made significant breakthroughs, and the Japanese side is reportedly considering increasing purchases of US agricultural products and defense equipment as a bargaining chip.

That evening, Kishida also spoke with US President Trump, noting that the conversation enhanced mutual understanding, but Japan's stance on tariffs remains firm and unchanged, without disclosing further details. Akazawa Ryo indicated that purchasing US defense equipment may become a focal point of the negotiations, helping to address the US's trade deficit with Japan, while also stressing that Japan's security policy would not be used as a bargaining condition in trade agreements with other countries.

In his speech, Kishida also called on Asian countries to demonstrate the importance of supporting a rules-based free and fair economic order, and emphasized the necessity of promoting the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The CPTPP consists of 12 countries, including Japan, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, etc., while the US is not a member of this framework.

Kishida promised that Japan would strive to further expand and upgrade this framework, stating that it would contribute not only to economic development but also to peace and prosperity. Although Tokyo is strengthening its economic ties with Southeast Asia and Europe, Japan still views the US as a key component of its security policy.