BUSINESS / ANALYSIS

Tokyo and Washington finally set to kick off trade talks as American farmers fume over poor Japan access

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and economic and fiscal policy minister Toshimitsu Motegi hold talks in Washington on Aug. 9. The two will meet again in the U.S. early this week to kick off bilateral trade talks. | POOL / VIA KYODO

By Reiji Yoshida
Staff Writer

Apr 13, 2019

This week, negotiators from Japan and the United States will meet in Washington to address something that U.S. President Donald Trump considers to be long overdue: trade negotiations to open the Japanese market to more American goods.

Since the 1980s, Trump has argued that Japan greatly benefits from what he says are unfair trade deals and he vocally pledged to start trade talks with Japan during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Trump met in New York in September and agreed to launch talks on a free trade pact; the negotiations were expected to start as early as January.

Tokyo and Washington finally set to kick off trade talks as American farmers fume over poor Japan access

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