Japan refrained from making concessions to the United States over calls to scrap tariffs on all items other than politically sensitive rice during recent talks over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, according to sources.
For the discussions held Nov. 14 and 15, Japan had prepared a plan that would enable the United States, a key member in the TPP free trade negotiations, to boost its exports without Japan scrapping tariffs on five sensitive farm product categories — rice, wheat, beef and pork, dairy products and sugar.
But as U.S. officials insisted that tariffs on all items other than rice should be abolished, their Japanese counterparts decided not to present the compromise proposal and the talks ended with no breakthrough.