The United States and Japan held talks that both sides described as "constructive," amid Washington's persistent calls to nations worldwide to establish foundations for "fair trade."

In a Friday statement, the U.S. Treasury Department said Thursday's discussions brought together U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Biesent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer with Japan's Minister for Economic Revitalization Ryoushi Akazawa.

The Treasury noted Secretary Biesent appreciated Japan's prompt and positive engagement following recent meetings with President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials, while commending last week's constructive talks with Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato.

During what it described as "frank and constructive discussions on fair and reciprocal trade," the department said Secretary Biesent highlighted tariff and non-tariff measures, economic security as national security, and other concerns.

Biesent emphasized the strength of U.S.-Japan relations and agreed to immediately begin working-level consultations to build on Thursday's discussions, with additional ministerial meetings planned in the near future.

This comes after President Trump signed what he called a "historic" executive order last month imposing "reciprocal" tariffs on the vast majority of trading partners - a policy based on the principle of equivalent treatment, though he clarified tariffs wouldn't uniformly apply at identical levels, with case-by-case country treatment.

On the 9th of that month, Trump suspended most tariffs for 90 days but excluded China, America's second-largest trading partner, sustaining economic concerns particularly regarding persistent inflation and direct consumer impacts.