JAPAN sought Friday to hold bilateral ministerial trade talks with the United States as the allies race to seal a bilateral trade deal, seen as crucial for a broader trans-Pacific free trade pact, ahead of a summit later this month.

    Japanese Economics Minister Akira Amari’s formal talks with his U.S. counterpart depend on the progress of working-level meetings aimed at narrowing gaps over the agricultural and auto sectors.

    Amari’s comments followed the submission of a bill to the U.S. Congress that would give President Barack Obama the authority to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact. Passage of the bill, which Japan sees as crucial for success in the TPP talks, is far from assured.

    “You can say that we have just cleared one obstacle to TPP negotiations,” Amari said.

    “Japan is holding working-level talks with the United States today. Depending on how those go, I want to decide today whether or not we can proceed to more formal minister-level talks,” Amari said, adding that a timeframe for his decision has not been set.

    The United States and Japan, the biggest and third-biggest economies, account for about 80 percent of the economic output of the 12-member TPP, making them the pacesetters of the multilateral trade talks.

    The bilateral talks have been stymied by Japan’s efforts to protect politically powerful agriculture sectors such as beef, and disputes over both countries’ auto markets.

    Washington and Tokyo see strategic value to a broad TPP deal as forming a counterweight to rising China, which has not joined the group.

    Japanese media said the two countries were aiming for meetings between Amari and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman yesterday and today.

    (SD-Agencies)