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Comment by slater | Hacker News Reader

Paper trail, to be referenced later, so TFG can't be all "huh, never said that, never agreed to that" etc. etc.

I don’t understand why you think it would stop that, given how comprehensive a record of self-contradiction he already has.

Maybe more in that it gives the Japanese an easy out to change terms when America inevitably breaks the deal.

True, but the Japanese government is accountable to Japanese voters and their business community. If they see Trump reneging on or twisting an agreement they'll be more likely to blame Trump than the LDP. He's not popular there nowadays except among Sanseito members.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/business/japan-tariffs-us...

https://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/15953967

Well, having the paper agreement certainly helped last time. (A month ago.)

There's also a Language barrier. So making sure there is a written agreement ensures that both sides understand what was agreed upon.

and then what? Trump put specific numbers about trade balance on paper with China during previous trade war, which China just ignored.

1. "Specific numbers about trade balance' isn't a negotiation term. It might be a prior that feeds into your position in negotiation, but it's not an outcome.

2. He lies when his lips move. When you're dealing with a pathological liar, there's no reason to believe anything he says that paints him in a good light - until it's been independently confirmed.

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