President Donald Trump said Friday that he has started trade talks with Japan, the latest country he has turned his focus to as he seeks new deals with major partners.

"If we don't make a deal with Japan, Japan knows it's a big deal," the president told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Trump's comments come a day after he suggested to The Wall Street Journal that he would target Japan next. The president told James Freeman, a writer at the newspaper, that his good relationship with Japanese leaders "will end as soon as I tell them how much they have to pay."