Japan-U.S. Trade Talks May Start by End of April

Tokyo, April 2 (Jiji Press)--Japan and the United States are working to arrange the first round of bilateral trade negotiations by the end of April at the earliest, Japan's Economic Revitalization Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference after a cabinet meeting, Motegi said the two sides are planning to hold the meeting in the United States. Japan and the United States are seen discussing tariff reductions and eliminations, as well as the scope of the trade talks, including whether the services sector should be covered by the envisaged bilateral trade pact. The meeting is expected to precede a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump that is planned to take place in late April. Motegi is likely to visit Washington to hold the first-round trade negotiations with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. The launch of the trade talks was agreed on by Abe and Trump in September last year. Tokyo hopes to narrow down the scope of the negotiations to focus on tariffs on goods. On the other hand, Washington has been showing interest in discussing a wider range of matters, including a provision to restrict competitive currency devaluation. END