Japan and the United States reaffirmed their commitment to settle as soon as possible the disputes standing in the way of finalizing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, agreeing to hold talks again next month, Japanese officials said.
Hiroshi Oe, deputy chief TPP negotiator, said Tuesday he and his U.S. counterpart, Wendy Cutler, promised to meet again Aug. 4 and 5 in Washington, and that he hopes the two governments will strike a deal "within several months."
Oe hinted that the two sides made headway on some sticking points during two days of talks on exceptional agricultural tariffs, while declining to comment on details of the negotiations.