Japan's top trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa held talks with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on U.S. tariffs on Thursday, as Tokyo races to avert a 25% levy that will be imposed unless a deal is clinched by an August 1 deadline.

Japan's government said its top trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, held a 45-minute phone call with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on U.S. tariffs on Thursday. The phone talks came after President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the U.

Japan and the United States are intensifying discussions over looming U.S. tariffs, with Tokyo reaffirming its commitment to continued negotiations. Japans top trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, held a 45-minute phone