Japan’s top trade envoy, Ryosei Akazawa, met U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington this week to press the Biden administration to honour last month’s pledge to cut the U.S. tariff on Japanese automobiles to 15% from the current 25%. The visit comes as Tokyo seeks to translate the verbal agreement reached by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Donald Trump into formal regulatory changes. Confusion emerged on Thursday when Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Itsunori Onodera said Japan had not been granted an exemption from “tariff stacking,” implying the 15% levy could be imposed on top of existing duties. He warned that, without clarification, combined charges could exceed the levels exporters currently face. Speaking in Tokyo hours later, Ishiba insisted “there is no discrepancy” between the two governments and that the new 15% rate is meant to replace—not supplement—existing duties. Nonetheless, the prime minister said Japan is formally requesting amendments to U.S. executive orders to ensure the surcharge is not layered onto current tariffs. The mixed signals underscore lingering ambiguities in the bilateral accord and raise uncertainty for Japanese carmakers, whose U.S.-bound shipments form a cornerstone of the country’s export sector. Negotiators from both sides are expected to continue talks in Washington in the coming days to finalise the wording and timing of the tariff reduction.