Japan, U.S. Affirm Cooperation for IPEF Ministerial Talks

Washington, Aug. 31 (Jiji Press)--Japanese trade minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai agreed on Wednesday to strengthen cooperation between their countries ahead of a ministerial meeting next week of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity initiative.

The IPEF ministerial meeting, scheduled to take place in Los Angeles for two days from Sept. 8, will be attended by officials from Japan, the United States and 12 other countries that have announced their plans to join the U.S.-led trade initiative. The participants are expected to agree to start formal negotiations.

On Wednesday, Nishimura and Tai had their first talks, online, since the Japanese minister took office last month. Tai congratulated Nishimura on his appointment, and the two exchanged views on the upcoming IPEF meeting, according to the Office of the USTR.

On Aug. 25, the USTR office announced that it and Japan's trade and foreign ministries held the second round of talks between their senior officials on a Japan-U.S. trade cooperation framework.

Following the recent talks, Nishimura and Tai reaffirmed their nations' cooperation over digital trade, for which high-standard rules will be drawn up in IPEF negotiations, as well as the correction of unfair trade practices by third countries and the eradication of forced labor, apparently with China in mind.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]