Japanese Economy Minister Ryoshasa Akasawa said his goal is to resolve the tariff negotiations in time for a June meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. "The leaders of both countries are looking forward to their meeting, and that has been confirmed," Akasawa told reporters after meeting US commerce secretary Rutnik and US trade representative Greg Greer in Washington on Friday. "We will keep that in mind and do our best." His comments followed a phone call between Mr. Trump and Shigeru Ishiba, which promised to meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit next month. Hours later, Mr. Trump said he had agreed to a partnership between Nippon Steel and US Steel. (Kim Ten)