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Aso, who met Mnuchin on the eve of a summit
between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe in Washington, said the two countries also agreed
that exchange-rate matters would be discussed between financial
authorities.
Trump has made clear he is unhappy with Japan's trade surplus
with the United States - much of it from auto exports - and
wants a two-way agreement to address it. Trump and Abe agreed
last September to start trade talks in an arrangement that
protects Japanese automakers from further tariffs while
negotiations are under way.
Mnuchin had said in the past that in future trade deals,
including one with Japan, Washington would like to include a
provision to deter currency manipulation. Tokyo has resisted the
idea.
"I told him that Japan cannot agree to any debate linking trade
policy with monetary policy," Aso told reporters after his
bilateral meeting with Mnuchin on Thursday. "Japan won't discuss
exchange-rate matters in the context of trade talks."
Aso declined to comment when asked whether, in his meeting with
Mnuchin, the U.S. side had made demands to include a currency
provision in trade deals between the two countries.
Currencies are a touchy issue for Japan because it has been
criticized for keeping the yen low with massive monetary easing.
Tokyo has argued that its policy easing is aimed at achieving
its 2 percent inflation target, not at gaining export advantage
by weakening its currency.
(Additional reporting by Leika Kihara in Tokyo; Editing by Chizu
Nomiyama)
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