Ishiba told reporters he is willing to fly to Washington to negotiate directly with Trump. The U.S. will begin collecting 25% tariffs on auto imports on Thursday, with taxes on fully-imported cars kicking in at midnight, U.S. time. The tariffs are set to expand to applicable auto parts in weeks to come.

A strong U.S. security ally with a large trade surplus, Japan has few options for retaliating against the tariffs. Instead, it is bracing for an economic hit.