Japanese, Irish premiers discuss impact of Trump tariffs on global economy

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his Irish counterpart Micheal Martin on Wednesday discussed the impact of US President Donald Trump's tariffs on the global economy.

Ishiba and Martin discussed economic issues, "taking into account the impact of the US tariff measures on the global economy and the multilateral free trade system," said a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

During Martin's visit to Asia in three years, both sides agreed to coordinate in various fields such as security, including cybersecurity, "in light of the increasingly severe security environment surrounding both countries, based on the shared recognition that security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific is inseparable."

Martin and Ishiba agreed "that unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force are unacceptable anywhere in the world and that they would continue to cooperate to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," expressing "serious concerns over the advancement of the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea."

The two leaders also discussed East Asia, including their policies toward North Korea, involving "the nuclear and missile issues as well as the abduction issue."

Separately, Ishiba on Wednesday told lawmakers in Tokyo that the East Asian nation would protect its interests following Trump's threat to increase tariffs on Japanese imports to 30% to 35% on Tuesday.