Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump remained at loggerheads on big-picture trade issues on Wednesday after two days of talks, though the two leaders said they had agreed to begin discussions on what they called "free, fair and reciprocal" trade.
Speaking at a joint news conference at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, the U.S. president said he and Abe "have agreed to intensify our trade and investment consultations." Asked for clarification on whether this meant a bilateral trade deal, both leaders were coy.
Trump said he was working to reduce the $56.1 billion U.S. trade deficit with Japan by pushing to remove barriers to U.S. exports.