TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Thursday his country needed to wean itself from U.S. dependence in such key areas as security, food and energy, as Tokyo faces the prospect of new U.S. tariffs in three weeks.
“If they think Japan ought to follow what America says as we depend heavily on them, then we need to work to become more self-sufficient in security, energy and food, and less dependent on America,” Ishiba told a TV news programme.
He made the comment when asked about his remark, made during his stump speech on Wednesday, that tariff negotiations with the United States were a “battle in which national interest is at stake. We won’t be taken lightly”.
Trump notified Ishiba on Monday that Washington would impose tariffs of 25% on Japanese imports from August 1, but hinted at opportunities for additional negotiations.
(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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