As Japan’s chief trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa heads to the US to kick off trade talks, he faces the risk of being forced to discuss currencies more than he wants, a scenario that may add further volatility to the yen.

Japan recorded a trade deficit for the fiscal year that just ended but racked up a $63 billion surplus with the United States

President Donald Trump touted "big progress" in tariff talks with Japan on Wednesday, in one of the first rounds of face-to-face negotiations since his barrage of duties on global imports roiled markets and stoked recession fears.