Japan - Feb 3

Japan and the U.S. entered the  final stages of TPP talks, in order to reach an agreement by their March deadline. The discussions have seen little progress because Japan is opposed to the abolition of all tariffs, in order to protect its own agricultural products. So far, Japan has agreed to reduce tariffs on beef to 9%. The focus of the talks has shifted to conditions for enacting safeguard measures to protect Japanese markets from a rapid increase in imports. If the talks make enough progress, Japan's TPP minister Akira Amari and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will meet to settle the most politically sensitive issues. Source: Mainichi Daily News