Trade negotiators from the U.S. and Japan met Thursday in Tokyo to work out what they hope will be a final bilateral deal needed for the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.

The meeting took place as Kyodo News reported that the government was discussing a nontariff framework for certain imports in return for allowing Japan to maintain high tariffs on rice.

Along with beef, pork, wheat, sugarcane, and dairy products, rice is one of Japan's so-called sacred sectors, where political pressure to maintain high tariffs in the face of cheaper imports from the U.S. has stymied efforts to conclude a TPP agreement.