Japan, U.S. mull possible Abe visit to Washington in January
12:45, 7 September 2014
WASHINGTON. KAZINFORM Japan and the United States are considering arranging for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to visit Washington in January for talks with President Barack Obama on trade and security issues, a U.S. government source said Saturday.
The governments are discussing the matter on the assumption that the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations are successfully concluded by the end of the year, the source said, Kyodo reports.
Big gaps remain between Tokyo and Washington over issues such as Japan's desire to maintain tariffs on some agricultural products. Settling disagreements between the two largest economies in the framework is seen as vital to concluding an agreement soon among all 12 nations involved in the talks.