Japan and the United States are likely to hold the first round of their new dialogue on trade and investment in mid-June or later, Japan’s minister in charge of the negotiations said Tuesday.
Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, citing the ongoing Diet session, told a press conference that the Japanese government has informed the United States of when it can participate in the initial round of talks.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump last week agreed to set up the new ministerial consultations aimed at a “free, fair and reciprocal” trade deal during their summit in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort estate in Palm Beach, Florida. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will be Motegi’s counterpart in the consultations.
Immediately after taking office in January last year, Trump withdrew the world’s largest economy from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, leading the remaining 11 members led by Japan to sign the deal without the United States.
via Mainichi
