Trade chiefs from Japan and the United States continued negotiations on Monday that could pave the way to conclude the proposed 12-country Pacific free trade deal, seeking to resolve outstanding issues before their leaders' summit in about a week.
The second day of negotiations will be "the most crucial stage" of the prolonged bilateral talks on a broader Trans-Pacific Partnership pact, economic and fiscal policy minister Akira Amari told reporters before meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.
Amari, however, cautioned Sunday that he does not expect to resolve all remaining issues in time for a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama on April 28 in Washington, where the TPP will be one of the key items on the agenda.