Trade
Japan-US Trade Talks Risk Adding Further Volatility to Yen
Ryosei Akazawa ahead of his flight to the US, at Tokyo International Airport, on April 16.
Source: JIJI Press/AFP/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
As Japan’s chief trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa heads to the US to kick off trade talks, he faces the risk of being forced to discuss currencies more than he wants, a scenario that may add further volatility to the yen.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer have both already made it clear they want to discuss currency issues. As Akazawa heads for talks on Wednesday, it remained unclear how much he would be dragged into a discussion on the topic this week, but comments from the US side suggest that he’ll have to address it sooner or later.