April 14, 2014
US likely to accept lower Japan beef tariffs
As the two countries seek a trade deal seen as vital to a broader regional pact, the US appears willing to accept a big cut in Japan''s beef import tariffs.
US Trade Representative Michael Froman and Japanese Economics Minister Akira Amari wrapped up two days of intense talks on the bilateral deal, a cornerstone of the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), with both saying progress had been made but that big gaps remained.
"There was a bit of progress but big differences remain," Agriculture Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi reiterated at a news conference.
Trade Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters that an April 24 summit between US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would be an important juncture for the trade talks, but repeated Japan''s stance that the meeting was not a deadline for a deal.
The US wants Japan to open its rice, beef and pork, dairy and sugar sectors - politically powerful sectors that Abe has vowed to defend.
The TPP, a 12-nation grouping that would stretch from Asia to Latin America, is central to Obama''s policy of expanding US presence in Asia and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has touted it as a main element of his economic growth strategy.
Arrangements are being made for Amari to visit the US for further talks next week, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference. Japanese media reported Amari was eyeing a meeting with Froman on April 17.
The Nikkei said Froman appeared to have abandoned the US'' insistence that Japan scrap its tariffs on beef, but big gaps remained over the size of the cuts and the conditions under which Japan could take counter-steps if imports rose.
Japan was considering lowering its beef tariff to below 10% but wants to be able to restore its higher levy if beef imports increase by even a small amount, the newspaper said, without citing sources.
A Japanese government official said that lowering farm tariffs was possible but that scrapping them entirely - the ultimate goal of the TPP - was not on offer.
Japan has been hoping that a basic deal clinched with Australia, including a halving of Tokyo''s tariff on frozen beef to 19.5%, would put pressure on Washington to compromise to avoid US beef exporters losing out to Australian rivals.
Froman said on arrival in Japan this week that Washington was seeking a "higher level of ambition" in any TPP deal than the Australian-Japan agreement.