Compiled from wire reports SEATTLE -- The United States on Wednesday proposed extending a bilateral automotive trade pact due to expire at the end of the year after a joint review showed that some progress has been made in improving access and competition in the Japanese market.
The proposal was made during U.S.-Japanese working-level talks that began here Tuesday as a followup to the 1995 bilateral auto and auto-parts trade accord, Japanese government officials said.
Despite proposing the extension, however, the U.S. side issued a statement the same day that said Japan had so far failed to fully implement the current accord aimed at boosting access to its market for U.S. automakers.