April 18 (UPI) — George Glass, the new U.S. Ambassador to Japan said he is “extremely optimistic” Tokyo and Washington can reach a deal over tariffs between the two countries, while presenting a unified front against China and Russia.
Glass officially took office in Tokyo earlier this week where he acknowledged Japan is located “in a very tough neighborhood” geographically, while stressing bilateral cooperation between it and the United States.
The Oregon businessman was appointed earlier this month after a confirmation hearing in March where he pledged to push Japan to increase its spending on defense and grow its market access for American imports.
It’s an honor and a thrill to be here to serve as the 32nd United States ambassador to Japan.
In this golden age of relations, Mary and I are excited at the opportunity to further strengthen the extraordinary partnership, deepen ties between our two peoples, and learn… pic.twitter.com/HwwieLTKZY— ジョージ・グラス駐日米国大使 (@USAmbJapan) April 18, 2025
Glass, who served as a U.S. envoy to Portugal during President Donald Trump’s first term in office, said finding common ground on tariffs would be a top priority in talks between the two countries.
“This is the country that captured our hearts about 15 years ago,” Glass told reporters in a scrum at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
Glass said Japan and the United States would prioritize working on security, economy and friendship.
“We sit with Japan in a very tough neighborhood. You have Russia, you have China, and you have North Korea,” Glass told reporters, adding that both countries would together “push back against a country like China.”
After landing, Glass met with and presented his new credentials to Japanese Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Funakoshi Takehiro.
“Both sides exchanged views on current Japan-U.S. economic relations, including tariff measures imposed by the United States, as well as regional affairs, and concurred to work closely together to further strengthen Japan-U.S. relations. In addition, both sides exchanged views on Japan-U.S. security and defense cooperation to strengthen the Alliance deterrence and response capabilities,” Takehiro’s office said in a statement.
Glass is expected to serve as a “bridge” between the two countries, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters at a news conference.
The Trump administration has been negotiating with a group of Japanese delegates in Washington this past week with no consensus reached.
Japan’s chief negotiator did say both sides have made “big progress” recently, although Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba later confirmed “there are still gaps between the respective stances,” of both countries.
