US agriculture secretary to visit Asia, Europe for tariff talks

US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins will visit Japan, India, Vietnam, and several other countries in the coming weeks to hold talks aimed at resolving trade imbalances and addressing new US tariffs, according to media reports Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, Rollins said she is working to secure increased agricultural imports from major US trading partners to rectify what Washington sees as long-standing trade disparities, Japan's Kyodo News Agency reported.

"Deals are being negotiated right now. Next week, I'll be in England discussing these things. A few weeks after, I'll be in Italy, then soon after that, Vietnam, Japan, and India," she said.

The diplomatic tour follows President Donald Trump's imposition of a sweeping new global tariff regime targeting both rivals and allies. While most countries were granted a 90-day reprieve, China was excluded and faces tariffs of up to 245% on some of its exports to the US.

Japan, India, and Vietnam currently face US tariff rates of 24%, 27%, and 46%, respectively.

Washington has so far rejected Tokyo's formal request to be exempted from the tariffs. Last week, Japan's top trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa raised the issue in a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington, but the two sides failed to reach a breakthrough.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday that Tokyo would not compromise its national interests for the sake of reaching a trade deal.

Describing the ongoing talks as "positive and constructive," Ishiba acknowledged that significant gaps remain between the two countries and that "maximum efforts" would be needed to resolve them.