US Trade Representative Ron Kirk says Japan should be willing to negotiate all items to join talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact. But he also suggests the possibility of setting some exemptions from tariff cuts.

The top US trade official made the remarks in an interview with Reuters news agency on Wednesday.

It quotes Kirk as saying that the United States and other countries involved in the TPP talks never allow any nation to have certain protected sectors or issues before the talks begin.

This means all items need to be put on the table if Japan is to take part in the free trade negotiations.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is leaving for Washington on Thursday for talks with US President Barack Obama.

Abe is reportedly looking for reassurances from Obama that universal tariff cuts without any exceptions are not a precondition for joining the TPP talks.

However, Reuters says Kirk did not rule out the possibility of special treatment for Japanese rice or some other sensitive products in the final agreement.

February 20, 2013

Source: NHK

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