Japanese news media reported that the government would reduce its high import tariffs on beef and pork and relax slightly its restrictions on U.S. rice imports as part of the proposed 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership trade pact, said Reuters. Talks between Japan and the United States are viewed as key to securing the overall agreement.
The Nikkei newspaper said Japan would cut its beef tariff, now 38.85 percent, to 10 percent over 10 years. The newspaper also said the pork tariff of 482 yen per kilogram could be slashed to tens of yen but Japan would demand safeguards against a flood of imports. The public broadcaster NHK said Japan was prepared to negotiate an expansion of minimum access quotas for rice, protected by a tariff of 778 percent for imports.
Japanese officials were not immediately available for comment, said Reuters. Earlier this week, a government official said differences were narrowing between the two countries.
TPP “is down to its final haggling… The toughest matters left, ironically, are agricultural disputes with Japan and dairy and poultry disagreements with Canada,” writes David Ignatius in the Washington Post. In a column, he says China expresses interest in joining TPP now that agreement is at hand.