Ishiba vows to protect nat’l interests over US tariff talks

FILE: Ishiba meets with Donald Trump in the Oval Office, 7 February 2025. (Photo By 首相官邸 (PMO)Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)

By Jiji Press, Philippine News Agency

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed on Wednesday to protect the country’s national interests over tariff talks with the United States.

“We need to protect our national interests at all costs,” Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said during a televised debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo.

The debate was held the day before the start of the official campaign period for the July 20 election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament.

Asked about the possibility of his ruling coalition losing its Upper House majority, Ishiba said, “We’ll obviously take any results seriously and gravely.”

The ruling bloc gave up its majority in the House of Representatives, the lower parliamentary chamber, in last year’s election.