Japan, U.S. in for tough bilateral trade talks over rice, autos

Japan and the United States continued the second of two days of tough trade talks on Monday that could pave the way for a broader trans-Pacific agreement, although Tokyo shrugged off expectations of a bilateral deal in time for a summit next week. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking on an evening news program in Tokyo, said negotiators were engaged in "intense" talks but that the discussion had narrowed to a few, lingering items. Access to Japan's rice market and the U.S. auto parts market remain obstacles to a bilateral deal between the two nations, which is vital to the success of a long-delayed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact. Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting in Tokyo, Economy Minister Akira Amari said top-level negotiations with U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, would be "very tough", adding that bilateral talks would hit the "most critical stage".

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