Ivanka Trump fashion brand halts talks on deal with Japanese firm

Jun 14, 2017 | News On Japan

Jun 14, 2017 (Japan Today) - The operator of Ivanka Trump's fashion brand has halted business negotiations with major Japanese apparel company Sanei-International Co due to concerns over potential conflicts of interest, according to a letter from the operating company made public Monday.

Trump serves as an adviser to her father, President Donald Trump, and potential conflicts of interest between the Trump family's businesses and public duties have been an issue of concern since he took office.

According to the letter from an executive of Ivanka Trump Operations LLC, dated May 17 and addressed to a ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, the company and Sanei agreed in principle on a potential transaction in August 2016.

However, the company notified Sanei in January that it "decided not to pursue further negotiations" as it has learned Sanei-International's parent company had ties to the Japanese government.

Ivanka Trump resigned her positions at the business in January and subsequently placed it in a trust out of concerns for a conflict of interest with respect to the business's potential expansion into a foreign market, according to the letter.

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