- Discussions have begun on goods including agriculture, autos
- U.S., Japan will also discuss digital trade in future
After a long wait for the first round of trade talks between the U.S. and Japan, discussions will now take place at an accelerated pace to reach a deal quickly, according to Japan’s chief negotiator.
The first talks focused on agriculture and cars, with digital trade set to be discussed at a later date, Japan’s economy minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters after talks wrapped up with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in Washington D.C. Tuesday. Other issues requiring more time have been put on the back burner and are likely to stay there, he added.
“From the next session onwards we will speed up discussions toward an early agreement, and will discuss digital trade at an appropriate time,” Motegi said.
The USTR published a statement saying the two officials had reaffirmed a shared goal of achieving “substantive results on trade” that follows on from last September’s joint statement by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
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