U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Thursday he was seeking a "very quick agreement" with Japan on tariff cuts for agricultural goods as part of efforts to reach a bilateral trade deal.
"I hope we can come to a very quick agreement with Japan over maybe some temporary ... provisions and hash out the many other issues that take longer in this area," Perdue told reporters ahead of the first round of talks next week on what the United States says will be a bilateral free trade agreement.
The remark indicates that President Donald Trump's administration hopes to pursue a deal in stages, leaving services and other sectors for later negotiations.