The latest news and updates on Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s Chief Trade Envoy, a prominent figure in international trade negotiations, particularly focused on preventing US tariff increases on Japanese goods. Since October 2024, he has also served as Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization and holds several other key ministerial portfolios, including social security reform and infectious disease crisis management. An MBA graduate from Cornell University and a former transport ministry bureaucrat, Akazawa was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2005. A close ally of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, his extensive responsibilities highlight his broad influence in both domestic policy and critical trade discussions.