Japan and Colombia kicked off their third round of free-trade negotiations Monday in Tokyo, which will cover tariff reduction, rules of origin and public procurement.
At the outset of the meeting, which will last through Friday, Jun Yokota, Japan's ambassador in charge of economic diplomacy, said Tokyo hopes to "continue negotiations to reach a high-level comprehensive accord" with Bogota.
Japan's exports to Colombia are mainly industrial goods, such as automobiles and steel products, while Japan-bound Colombian exports are mainly agricultural items, including coffee and flower.
Tokyo aims to eliminate the 35 percent tariff Bogota levies on imported Japanese automobiles, officials said.