TOKYO — Japan urged the United States to refrain from imposing higher tariffs on Japanese goods ahead of a planned meeting later this month between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and President Donald Trump.During talks in Washington on Friday with Howard Lutnick, Japan’s economy, trade and industry minister Ryosei Akazawa asked the United States not to apply tariffs higher than those agreed upon last year, according to Kyodo News.Speaking to reporters after the two-hour meeting, Akazawa said the discussions also covered joint investment projects and cooperation in sectors including energy, critical minerals and artificial intelligence.The talks come ahead of a planned March 19 meeting between Takaichi and Trump at the White House.The tariff issue resurfaced last month after the US Supreme Court struck down sweeping global tariffs introduced by Trump.The US president later announced a new global tariff rate of 10% on most imports, with plans to increase it to 15% under a separate authority.Akazawa said he urged Washington not to apply the higher tariffs to Japanese imports, citing the agreement reached between the two countries last July.Under that deal, Japan pledged to invest around $550 billion in strategic industries in the United States in exchange for reduced tariffs.
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