ISTANBUL 

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya has described the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum as "regrettable," according to local media.

His remarks came on Thursday during a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers meeting in Canada.

After the G7 meeting, Iwaya also told reporters that he had asked the US to exempt Japan from planned auto and reciprocal tariffs, Kyodo News Agency reported.

On Feb. 10, Trump announced a global-level imposition of 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, a vowed measure to foster the national industries and US producers. The tariffs went into effect on Wednesday.

Iwaya additionally mentioned that he informed Rubio of the need to strengthen bilateral relations in line with the agreement between Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and US President Donald Trump during their summit at the White House in February.

Iwaya said Rubio highlighted the US-Japan relationship as "extremely important" and that he would convey Tokyo's concerns to Washington.

During their around 30-minute discussion, which was their third meeting since Trump took office in January, Iwaya said they also addressed issues related to Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, although he did not provide further details.

Iwaya also met separately with his Canadian, British, and Italian counterparts on Thursday, agreeing to strengthen bilateral cooperation and collaborate closely on important global issues, said the media outlet.

Trump had said tariffs of around 25% on imported cars will likely be imposed on April 2. Japan currently is levied 2.5% for cars.

According to official Japanese data, some 1.37 million vehicles were shipped to the US, accounting for 28.3% of its total exports to the world's largest economy in terms of value.