Okada, EU foreign affairs chief Ashton to hold talks Wed. in Tokyo+

TOKYO, April 23 Kyodo -
Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada will hold talks with his European Union
counterpart Catherine Ashton on Wednesday in Tokyo on the sidelines of a
Japan-EU summit meeting to be held the same day, the Japanese Foreign Ministry
said Friday.
Both meetings are likely to focus on whether the two economies can agree on
launching a joint study group on a bilateral economic partnership agreement,
which is seen as a preliminary step to entering EPA negotiations.
The European Union is calling on Japan to reduce nontariff barriers such as
regulations on safety standards for automobiles. Japan wants the European Union
to abolish tariffs on cars and flat-panel televisions.
It will be Ashton's first visit to Japan as EU high representative for foreign
affairs and security policy, a post that was created under the Lisbon Treaty
which came into force last December.
Okada and Ashton will participate in the Japan-EU summit meeting to be held
after their talks.
The summit meeting will also be attended by Japanese Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama, EU President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose
Manuel Barroso, according to a Japanese Foreign Ministry official.
==Kyodo
2010-04-23 23:44:11


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