WASHINGTON (Kyodo) Farm minister Hirotaka Akamatsu said Thursday he agreed with U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk to work closely to bring the stalled multilateral trade liberalization talks to a successful conclusion by the end of next year.

Separately, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Kirk pointed to the need for Japan to fully reopen its beef market to U.S. exports.

Akamatsu said Japan and the United States will hold bilateral consultations, formally and informally, to help narrow the gap in the Doha Round of negotiations under the World Trade Organization and complete them by the deadline.

For his part, Kirk "emphasized the United States' resolve to achieve an ambitious and balanced conclusion" to the Doha Round, his office said in a statement.