[Title] Press Conference by Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru Regarding the Report He Received from Minister Akazawa on the Japan-U.S. Consultation on U.S. Tariff Measures and Regarding Other Matters

(On the content of the report Minister Akazawa provided to Prime Minister Ishiba earlier today regarding his visit to the U.S.; on when the agreement document is scheduled to be signed; on whether any discrepancies exist in the positions held by Japan and the United States, given that the fact sheet on Japan-U.S trade negotiations released by the White House on July 23 explicitly states that Japan will expand its purchases of U.S. defense equipment and also increase its imports of U.S. rice by 75 percent, which differs from the overview given by the Government of Japan; and on Prime Minister Ishiba's thoughts about his political future, following his July 23 statement that he would carefully consider his stance after receiving Minister Akazawa's report)

In February, I met with President Trump at the White House. Ever since then, I have been calling for "investment rather than tariffs" and I regard the recent outcome of our negotiations as entirely in line with that proposition. These are negotiations, so it is never the case of one side prevailing on all counts while the other side loses out entirely.

As for how we will materialize benefits for both Japan and the United States, Japan will engage in investment in the United States, thereby generating employment and revitalizing the manufacturing sector. That will serve the interests of both Japan and the United States.

Our success in reaching an agreement of this kind is a testament to the tremendous support provided by Minister Akazawa and so many others involved, from both the Government, namely the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and also the private sector.

I received a report from Minister Akazawa about the content of the negotiations, and what he reported to me was fully consistent with his remarks during his press conference. There are no inconsistencies between what he reported to me and his statements at the press conference. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Minister Akazawa and also to the large number of people who made truly tireless efforts to deliver this successful outcome.

As for the U.S. tariff measures, just as you would expect, various executive orders and so on will be issued as we go forward. As of right now, the signing of an agreement document is not specifically being discussed, but my understanding is that this is a case in which a presidential executive order will be issued or similar actions taken, in accordance with U.S. procedures. We will take all of this into account as we carefully consider our forthcoming responses.

As for defense equipment and rice imports, the understandings held by the Japan side and the U.S. side are not at odds with each other at all. The Chief Cabinet Secretary also stated as much at a press conference, and Minister Akazawa has also given this same explanation.

In particular, to address the matter of rice, absolutely nowhere in this agreement is there anything about reducing the tariffs Japan imposes, including on agricultural goods. That is exactly what Minister Akazawa himself explained earlier.

As the Government, we will work within the existing framework, namely the minimum access framework for rice that is already in place, and ensure the necessary procurement of rice while taking into account, among other factors, the state of Japan's domestic supply and demand. We have explained our position to the U.S. side firmly rooted in this way of thinking, and we are not contemplating having Japanese agriculture sacrificed in any way whatsoever.

The important thing is to ensure that this agreement is implemented without fail, between President Trump and me. I talked about this yesterday as well, but I believe Japan has 4,318 kinds of items that we export to the United States. The most extensive media coverage of course goes to automobiles, which is entirely reasonable, but if we look at the situation across all product categories, we find there are 4,318.

We have set up some 1,000 consultation service locations nationwide. Naturally, each of these locations already has a good grasp of what kinds of goods are being exported from their own local area, but we are going to have them do another careful investigation into their local situation, because we also have micro-enterprises that are working hard to export their products.

We expect that these business operators are extremely uneasy about what will happen to the types of export items they themselves are producing. We must take all possible measures to address the needs of these business operators, in the form of loans, investments to boost productivity, and so on.

We are committed to having this agreement steadily implemented, and equally resolved to continue to spare no effort in sweeping away any apprehension felt by our domestic business operators, related industries, and the people working there, as a result of this agreement.