May 31, 2019 (NHK) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made it clear that the US won't get special treatment in a trade deal with Japan.
He says Japan isn't willing to provide better access to its agricultural markets than it offered to other countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The Trump administration pulled the US out of that deal more than 2 years ago.
Abe was speaking at a meeting of the Japan Business Federation in Tokyo on Thursday.
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Abe said, "The premise for trade talks with the US is the joint statement last September. The maximum access we can offer for America's farm goods is what we've granted in economic partnership agreements with other countries."
He assured the gathering that as long as the countries are still trying to work out a deal, the US won't impose extra duties on Japanese cars.
Abe warned that it will be tough to reach an agreement on a deal covering such a wide range of goods. But he said he's hopeful the sides can reach a mutually satisfactory outcome soon.
