The United States Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, will be absent from the G20 Finance Ministers’ Meeting in South Africa next week and will instead visit Japan to attend the 2025 World Expo in Osaka. There is keen interest in whether Bessent will take the opportunity to hold further discussions with Japanese officials.
According to reports from foreign media, Bessent will attend the U.S. National Day event on July 19 as the head of the U.S. delegation.
As a key figure in President Trump’s tariff trade negotiations, it is currently unclear whether Bessent will engage in bilateral meetings during this trip.
Bloomberg cited a senior U.S. official as saying that Bessent’s visit “does not involve any formal meetings or trade discussions,” and there has been no mention in Japanese statements of any upcoming meetings. However, there is still high interest from observers on whether the U.S. and Japan may engage in informal communication.
This visit comes at a time when trade tensions between the U.S. and Japan are escalating.
On Monday, President Trump wrote to Japanese Prime Minister Shozo Ishiba, informing Japan that starting from August 1, all Japanese imported goods will be subject to a 25% tariff, slightly higher than the initially announced 24% tariff in April this year.
This move has exacerbated the deadlock on tariff issues between the two sides. Initially, Japan was seen as a trade partner with whom a quick agreement could be reached, but negotiations hit a snag on the issue of automobile tariffs. The automobile industry accounts for over 80% of the U.S.-Japan trade deficit and is a crucial pillar for employment and growth in Japan.
Prime Minister Ishiba has stated that he will continue negotiations with the U.S. to seek an agreement that benefits both sides.
Since the trade negotiations began in April, Japan’s chief negotiator Ryosei Akazawa has visited Washington seven times for discussions with the U.S.
According to a statement from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bessent had a 30-minute phone call with Akazawa on Tuesday. The statement noted that both sides engaged in frank and in-depth discussions and agreed to continue active negotiations. However, the statement did not mention Bessent’s visit to Japan.
However, this visit also means that Bessent will once again be absent from the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting.
The meeting is set to take place in Durban, South Africa, from July 17 to 18, with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the Treasury Michael Kaplan attending on behalf of the U.S.
This is the second time Bessent has missed the G20 meeting held in South Africa this year. In February, he also missed the Cape Town G20 Finance Ministers’ Meeting due to attending President Trump’s first cabinet meeting.
On Monday, the Trump administration announced that if South Africa does not lower its trade barriers to U.S. goods, a 30% import tariff will be imposed on South African goods starting from August 1. Furthermore, Trump had earlier accused the South African government of land expropriation and genocide against white people, leading to increased tensions in bilateral relations.