Ryosei Akazawa didn’t board the plane. The Japanese trade minister was scheduled to arrive in Washington for final talks on a $550 billion investment pact. Instead, he canceled — no press conference, no handshake photo, just a quiet diplomatic retreat. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/japan-trade-negotiator-akazawa-cancels-004433937.html
Kyodo News called it “a postponement due to unresolved working-level issues.” That’s sanitized language for: the deal’s unraveling. Akazawa was expected to sign off on a joint framework for infrastructure, energy, and tech investment. He refused.
Firstpost captured the mood: “The Japanese side has been trying to understand what the US actually wants… But there’s no clear or consistent answer.” https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/how-trumps-uncertainty-has-left-the-us-japan-trade-pact-in-limbo-13883234.html