Trade officials from Japan and the United States opened a new round of talks in Tokyo on two sticking points, agriculture and automobiles, in negotiations for the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, said the Kyodo news service. The Foreign Ministry said it was unclear when the meeting would end. A U.S.-Japan agreement is viewed as essential to a TPP pact. The United States wants greater access for its farm exports while Japan wants to exempt “five sacred” sectors – sugar, wheat, rice, dairy, and pork and beef. There also are disagreements of U.S. tariffs on automobile parts.