Japan plays down further concessions in TPP talks

Japan official in charge of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade negotiations of Japan, brushed aside on Sunday the possibility of making further concessions to the United States on sensitive issues. Korea

Akira Amari, minister in charge of the TPP, said"We had a very tense discussion on outstanding issues, but we reached no conclusion," the minister for economic and fiscal policy told reporters after meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman in Tokyo.

The two countries held a meeting on the day, focusing especially on the issue of how to deal with tariffs on farm products, but the meeting ended without progress, local media reported.

The talks came in the lead-up to a ministerial meeting scheduled on Dec. 7 to 10 in Singapore.

While the 12 Pacific Rim negotiating countries are aiming to reach a deal by year-end, it is uncertain whether the deadline can be met as differences between Japan and the United States remain as one of the biggest hurdles.

Japan wants to retain tariffs it imposes on five farm product categories including rice, while the United States aims to abolish all tariffs. Both the United States and other negotiating countries are urging Japan to further open up its agricultural market.

Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters following the meeting that Japan has done its utmost to make concessions on tariffs related to products that the United States regards as sensitive, urging Washington to show " flexibility" on contentious issues.

Meanwhile,South Korea will hold bilateral talks with countries already joined in the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations to get more information and review conditions for its participation, South Korea's finance minister said last Friday.

"There is a need for the government to first express interest in joining the TPP and hold preliminary bilateral talks with countries already taking part," Yonhap news agency quoted Finance Minister Hyun Oh-seok as saying.

But Hyun added that this move doesn't mean that the country hasfinally decided to join in TPP.

"As the country expresses its interest in joining the TPP today, it will seek to check the possibility of its participation through preliminary bilateral talks, but such a move will not be based on the premise that the country will, in fact, join the TPP," he said at a weekly meeting of economy-related ministers.

TPP, a multilateral trade pact in the Pacific region, groups 12 countries, namely Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Singapore, the United States, Australia, Peru, Vietnam, Malaysia, Mexico, Canada and Japan.

TPP is a comprehensive but controversial free trade agreement that encompasses demanding rules on not only trade and economy, but also issues such as labor, environment and state- owned enterprises. It has also been criticized for the secretive talks.

In June, South Korea unveiled a new roadmap for trade policy under the Park Geun-hye government. Under the road map, Seoul aimed to become a linchpin of the regional economic integration in East Asia through a new FTA with China and the already signed deal with the United States.

It is also seeking actively participating in negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a multilateral FTA that will include China, Japan, South Korea and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as India, Australia and New Zealand.