Once again, the United States and Japan failed to reach an
agreement on auto tariffs. Tariffs on automobiles are one of the
remaining key issues that lie between the two countries in relation
to the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP).
On April 9th and 10th, U.S. Trade
Representative Michael Froman and Japanese Economic and Fiscal
Policy Minister Akira Amari met in Tokyo to discuss the TPP deal.
Apparently, they had intensive negotiations that extended to nearly
18 hours in just two days. After the meetings, both told reporters
that, despite progress, considerable differences
still remain.
The two key sticking points are autos and agriculture. Japan
wants to eliminate tariffs on automobiles, while the U.S. wants to
eliminate or at least substantially reduce tariffs on rice, beef,
and pork. The U.S. currently has 2.5 percent tariff on passenger
cars and 25 percent tariff on light trucks. Unidentified sources
reported that, during the Froman-Amari meeting, the
