Japan and South Korea began their second round of negotiations Monday in Tokyo to forge a free-trade agreement by the end of next year.
Foreign Ministry officials said the Japanese team is headed by Ichiro Fujisaki, deputy foreign minister of economic affairs, and the South Korean delegation is led by Kim Hyun Jong, deputy minister of trade.
The officials said the negotiators at the three-day talks would first hold a plenary session to discuss the basic direction of their FTA negotiations, followed by subcommittee meetings on trade in goods, unofficial trade barriers, service and investment, other trade-related issues, and economic cooperation.