Chief negotiators from the 11 Trans-Pacific Partnership countries met Wednesday in the hot-spring resort town of Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, to discuss how to breathe fresh life into the massive free trade deal after the U.S. withdrew.
Kazuyoshi Umemoto, the chair of the meeting, said at the outset of the gathering that he is determined to discuss "possible options for the early entry into force of the TPP" before their leaders gather in November for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Vietnam.
"Time is not so abundant, so we very much hope we can achieve as much as possible in this meeting," Umemoto said.