Japanese Ministers Pin Hopes on Abe-Trump Summit

Tokyo, April 17 (Jiji Press)--Japanese cabinet ministers expressed hopes on Tuesday for a successful summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump to be held this week in Palm Beach, southern Florida. "It's important for Japan and the United States to take initiatives in making (trade) rules in light of the current situation in the Asia-Pacific region," Economic Revitalization Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at a press conference. Motegi, who represented Japan in negotiations on the new Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement for free trade, will join the Abe-Trump summit, the Japanese government announced the same day. Abe will visit Florida to hold talks with Trump for two days from Tuesday. Abe and Motegi will return home on Friday. Motegi may hold talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to discuss trade issues. Trump instructed Lighthizer on Thursday to consider the possibility of the United States returning to the TPP, following its withdrawal last year from the original 12-nation multilateral framework. Japan and 10 other remaining countries signed the new TPP pact last month. At a separate press conference on Tuesday, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko suggested his hopes that Abe and Trump will discuss additional steel and aluminum import tariffs recently introduced by the United States. "Many of Japanese steel and aluminum products are of high quality and there are no alternatives to them. They are also making a significant contribution to job creation in U.S. industries," Seko said. END