Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick spoke by phone for 30 minutes on Saturday and explored the possibility of a trade deal, the Japanese government said in a statement.

Japan and the US have begun the latest round of trade negotiations, with media reports suggesting Tokyo’s delegation is trying to win a reprieve from the tariffs by pledging to make more cars in the US and enhancing cooperation on rare earths.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump held talks Monday on the fringes of the Group of Seven

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump met at the G7 summit to discuss trade tariffs, but no breakthrough was achieved. Japan hopes to negotiate the elimination of tariffs that could harm its economy.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he won’t rush into a trade deal with the US that would hurt the nation’s interests, although he’d welcome any progress made before an expected summit with US President Donald Trump.

Japan and the US held another round of trade talks in Washington as officials try to reach an agreement ahead of a Group of Seven summit in Canada and a meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Japan and the U.S. on Friday explored the possibility of a trade agreement, Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, told a briefing, while refraining from commenting how close they are to reaching a deal.