Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo met with Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan Hagiuda Koichi and launched the U.S.-Japan Commercial and Industrial Partnership, a collaborative partnership that will strengthen the competitiveness, resiliency, and security of the economies of the United States and Japan. This partnership, part of the Administration’s broader efforts to strengthen economic ties with the region, will enable deeper cooperation on efforts to strengthen supply chains, export controls, and innovations such as digital technologies. During their meeting, the Secretary and Minister also discussed U.S.-Japan cooperation to develop with like-minded partners an Indo-Pacific economic framework to advance resilience, inclusion, sustainability, and the interests of our respective middle classes. The Secretary and Minister also discussed the shared challenges including global excess capacity in steel and aluminum and committed to deepening bilateral cooperation to meet these challenges.