US, Japan to ‘speed up’ trade talks

The US and Japan will  “speed up” talks on a trade agreement, Japan’s economy minister pledged Friday, as Washington pushes Tokyo for a  “more fair” trade relationship.

President Donald Trump, while touting his close ties with Japan, has repeatedly criticised Tokyo for what he views as a trade imbalance, with the issue coming up during his bilateral talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the G20 Friday.

“During the Japan-US summit, the two leaders agreed to speed up trade negotiations so that they can achieve results swiftly. Based on that, we held a ministerial meeting in the afternoon,” Japan Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said after talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

The two negotiators agreed to  “vigorously push for meetings of working-level and high-level officials to move negotiations forward”, Motegi told reporters.