Donald Trump's insistence that "spoiled" Japan imports more US rice is adding to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's problems ahead of elections that could sink his premiership after less than a year in office.

The U.S.’s closest security allies in Asia, along with six Southeast Asian countries, have been given another three weeks to negotiate trade deals — or face higher tariffs.

There is a goods trade deficit with Japan because the U.S. imports more than it exports, which Trump views as a sign of unfairness in the trading arrangements. In 2024, federal trade data shows the U.S. goods trade deficit with Japan was $68.5 billion.