US Eager for quick farm accord in trade talks with Japan

April 12, 2019

Washington--U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Thursday indicated the country's stance of prioritizing agricultural issues in its new trade talks with Japan that will start next week.

"I hope we can come to a very quick agreement with Japan" for some farm-sector issues, Perdue said.

Tough negotiations are expected at the first round of the trade talks set to take place in Washington for two days from Monday, sources familiar with the situation said.

The Japanese government aims to avoid making major concessions in the farm sector ahead of the election this summer for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, the country's parliament, the sources said. Farmers are key supporters of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Perdue expressed concerns that U.S. farmers are facing disadvantages in exporting their products to Japan, following the effectuation late last December of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement among Japan and 10 other countries. The United States withdrew from TPP negotiations in early 2017.

There is speculation among some U.S. officials that Japan may accept a U.S. request to prioritize farm negotiations in exchange for having Japanese vehicles exempted from additional automobile tariffs that may be decided by U.S. President Donald Trump in mid-May at the earliest.

Meanwhile, a Japanese ruling coalition lawmaker backed by farmers has said that Tokyo "should not sacrifice agriculture for automobiles." Jiji Press