Japan and the United States will launch a second round of trade talks in New York on Tuesday amid fears that Japan will face more pressure to reduce its large trade surplus with the United States, the top Japanese government spokesman said today.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lightiser was scheduled to meet with Japanese Economy Minister Toshmitsu Motegi on Monday night ahead of a summit on Wednesday between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly meeting. .
Lightiser & Motegi met in August but failed to narrow differences over whether to open negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement.
Japan hopes to avoid any import restrictions and possibly increase tariffs on U.S. imports on its cars. Japanese media reported that Tokyo was considering an agreement that would reduce tariffs on U.S. agricultural imports in exchange for avoiding a rise in tariffs on Japanese cars.
