President Donald Trump increased pressure on Japan for a bilateral trade deal, saying the country has been “winning” for decades and suggesting that negotiations have drawn on for longer than he would like. Trade with Japan is neither fair nor open for the U.S., Trump said at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Tokyo on Monday. But he added that he was “optimistic about the future of our economic partnership.” “Our trade with Japan is not free, and it’s not reciprocal, and I know it will be,” Trump said. “We’ve started the process and it’s gone on for a long time. And I know that we will be able to come up with trade ... (full story)

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Japan “has been winning” on trade with the United States in recent decades, citing massive trade deficits, and vowed to push for a more “free and reciprocal trade” partnership - but in a friendly way. “The United States has suffered massive trade deficits at the hands of Japan for many, many years,” Trump said at the start of a meeting with Japanese and U.S. business leaders on the second day of a 12-day Asian trip. Trump praised Japan for buying U.S. military hardware, which he said was the “best military equipment in the world”, but added that “many millions of cars ... (full story)