Japan may offer financial and technical contributions ranging from investment in an Alaskan liquefied natural gas pipeline project to shipbuilding expertise as it seeks to smooth the path toward a tariff deal with the U.S. by mid-June.
Japan will tout its prowess in building ice-breakers, a growing area of need as security concerns in the Arctic region mount, while also offering to help repair U.S. battleships that patrol the Asia-Pacific, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday, as his hand-picked trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa returned to Tokyo following a third round of discussions with U.S. counterparts in Washington.
Akazawa said he hopes to reach an agreement in time for a planned bilateral meeting between Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada next month.
