Mitsuru Obe – The U.S. and Japan failed to reach a trade
agreement before the summit meeting on Thursday between President Barack
Obama and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but the two sides will push
forward with efforts to resolve the main points of contention.
Obama and Abe have instructed their
chief trade negotiators—U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and
Economy Minister Akira Amari—to bridge the gap on a bilateral trade
agreement seen as crucial to the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade
initiative, Mr. Abe said in a news conference after their meeting.
The U.S. and Japan had hoped to
demonstrate the strength of their alliance with an announcement of a
landmark trade agreement during Mr. Obama’s visit to Tokyo. But after
months of talks, including intensive negotiations over the past several
weeks, significant differences remain on key issues, particularly U.S.
access to Japanese agricultural markets.
Japan wants to protect its own products,
including rice and beef, while the U.S. is demanding full market
access. Meanwhile, the U.S. is apparently seeking more time to cut
tariffs on Japanese vehicles.
Interest groups in both countries have
voiced concern about TPP. In the U.S., the auto industry argues that
Japan has the most closed market among developed nations, while the U.S.
farm lobby has pressured the Obama administration to maintain a tough
negotiating stance on Japan’s markets for agricultural goods.
Mr. Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic
Party, long-reliant on rural votes, has framed the issue of protecting
farm products and food production as one of national security.
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