日にち米べい財務ざいむ相しょう会談かいだん“米べい側がわから為替かわせ水準すいじゅん言及げんきゅうなし” 円えん相場そうば値下ねさがり

The market is watching to see whether the Trump administration in the United States will seek correction of the strong dollar in negotiations with Japan. Early on the 25th, Japan time, Finance Minister Kato met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent in Washington, D.C., and discussed matters such as the exchange rate.

Minister Kato stated that the U.S. side did not mention any targets for exchange rate levels, and as a result, expectations of the yen appreciating in the foreign exchange market have receded, causing the yen to depreciate somewhat.

Kato, the Minister of Finance who is visiting Washington, D.C. in the United States, held talks for about 50 minutes early on the 25th Japan time with Secretary of the Treasury Bessent, who is in charge of ministerial negotiations between Japan and the U.S. regarding the Trump administrations tariff measures.

Minister Kato stated at the press conference after the meeting, There was absolutely no mention from the American side regarding targets for exchange rate levels or any kind of framework to manage them.

In this meeting, it was reaffirmed that exchange rates are determined by the market and that excessive fluctuations in exchange rates can have a negative impact on economic and financial stability. Both sides agreed to continue close consultations between Japan and the United States regarding exchange rates.

President Trump has repeatedly made statements to warn against the depreciation of the yen, so the market was closely watching whether the United States would demand correction of the strong dollar at this meeting. However, when it was reported that the U.S. side made no specific demands regarding foreign exchange, expectations for further appreciation of the yen in the foreign exchange market receded, and after the meeting, the yen has somewhat weakened.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi: Productive discussions on various issues. At a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi said, Finance Minister Kato strongly requested a review, expressing deep regret over the series of tariff measures by the United States and raising concerns about their consistency with the Japan-U.S. Trade Agreement.

On top of that, he explained that productive discussions were held on various bilateral issues.

On the other hand, when asked by reporters whether any concerns about the exchange rate were raised by the American side during the meeting, he responded, We agreed to continue close and constructive consultations regarding foreign exchange.

I will refrain from commenting further, as mentioning anything beyond this may invite market speculation and have unforeseen consequences.