expression, noun
two sly characters outfoxing each other
Idiomatic expression describing a situation where two cunning people try to deceive each other, often with neither gaining the upper hand. The literal image is a fox and a tanuki (raccoon dog) trying to trick one another.
あの二人の交渉はまさに狐と狸の化かし合いだ。
The negotiation between those two is exactly a case of two sly characters outfoxing each other.
From the folkloric idea that both foxes (kitsune) and tanuki are trickster animals in Japanese tradition. The expression literally means 'a fox and a tanuki fooling each other'.