Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler said on Monday that "significant gaps" in the trade negotiations remain between the United States and Japan regarding access for U.S. automobiles in the Japanese market.

"Japan has zero tariffs on autos and trucks, and yet access to the Japanese automotive market is limited. There is an array of nontariff barriers in Japan that have effectively closed the Japanese auto market to U.S. producers," Cutler said in prepared remarks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations delivered at the Japan Society in New York.

"And as a result, when Japan joined the (TPP) negotiation, we asked and Japan agreed to launching a separate bilateral parallel negotiation on automotive nontarrif measure issues. And on these issues we are making good progress, but we have more work to do," Cutler said.