Japan's top trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said on Friday that trade negotiations with the U.S. "remained in a fog" despite efforts by both sides to seek an agreement.

Japan has reported its exports fell in May as shipments of autos to the U.S. dropped nearly 25% from a year earlier due to higher tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

Japan’s exports fell for the first time in eight months as the US tariff campaign weighed on global trade, raising the risk of a technical recession after the economy contracted at the start of the year.