Obama's visit not deadline for TPP talks -- FM

TOKYO, April 21 (KUNA) -- A visit by US President Barack Obama to Japan this week is not considered a deadline for the bilateral negotiations on the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday.
"His visit could be one of the targets in seeking broad TPP agreement, but it is not a deadline," Kishida said in a speech in Tokyo. His remarks come ahead of Obama's three-day visit here from Wednesday, during which he will hold a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
"Tough negotiations on the TPP pact continue. We might need a big political decision at the end," the minister said, indicating the possibility that Abe and Obama will reach broad agreement at their talks. Japan and the US, the two biggest economies in the 12-country TPP talks, are trying to make a breakthrough in the talks before the Abe-Obama summit.
Last week, Japanese Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Akira Amari and US Trade Representative Michael Froman, both in charge of TPP talks, made a last-ditch effort in narrowing the differences over the TPP pact.
However, the two countries remain divided on tariffs on agricultural products and automobiles. The TPP countries -- Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the US and Vietnam account for almost 40 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP) and about one-third of all world trade.
Japan is the first leg of his weeklong Asian tour that will also take him to South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines. (end) mk.rk