key takeaways
- Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and US President Donald Trump were unable to announce a bilateral trade agreement when they met on the sidelines of the G7 summit on 16 June.
- The two governments remain at odds over a fundamental question, whether an agreement should include concessions from the United States on automotive tariffs.
- At present, neither side feels compelled to compromise, pointing to a lengthy impasse, though Ishiba could feel pressure to concede sooner than Trump.