(Reuters) - The United States on Friday cautiously welcomed Japan's interest in joining negotiations on a U.S.-led Pacific free trade pact, emphasizing that Tokyo must demonstrate its willingness to tackle longstanding trade barriers to U.S. goods and services.

United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk has announced that the United States has requested the World Trade Organization (WTO) to establish a dispute settlement panel to examine Indonesia’s trade-restrictive measures applied to horticultural products, animals and animal products.

One year after the South Korea-United States Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) took effect, many issues between the two sides remain unaddressed. Among these are the investor-state dispute (ISD) clause, which then-President Lee Myung-bak pledged to renegotiate in 2011, as well as other matters involving items produced at the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the quota system for professional visas.

TOKYO — Japan will seek to join negotiations for a free-trade pact with the United States and other Pacific nations, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday, giving heft to talks that could encompass two-fifths of the world economy but also adding a country with demands and reservations that some participants fear will delay an agreement.

GENEVA, March 15 (Reuters) - The European Union's plans for tough new anti-smoking rules would break international trade rules, Malawi has told the World Trade Organization, signalling a potential legal challenge from the developing world.Malawi, one of the world's poorest countries, is concerned that EU plans to make cigarettes less attractive to new smokers will hurt a sector which provides more than 60 percent of its foreign exchange earnings, according to a WTO survey in 2010.

In the United States it’s hard to find high-quality winter tomatoes from Mexico or textiles and apparel from poor countries in Asia, Africa and South America.

BRUSSELS, March 14 (Reuters) - The European Union told Russia on Thursday to drop restrictions on its exports or face a legal dispute at the World Trade Organisation ahead of meetings in Moscow next week aimed at dealing with a series of conflicts.Struggling to narrow differences with Russia on issues ranging from Syria to energy, the European Commission said a fee on imported cars flouted WTO rules that Moscow promised to adhere to when it joined the global trade body last August.

KIEV, March 13 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday urged Ukraine not to renegotiate its World Trade Organisation commitments, warning the move could trigger a chain reaction and bring down the whole global trade system.The former Soviet republic, which joined the WTO in 2008, shocked the trade club last September by announcing plans to raise tariff ceilings on 371 goods using a legal loophole, a move met with virtually unanimous opposition.

SINGAPORE — Progress is being made in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade talks but hurdles remain and Japan is unlikely to be set to join the next round in May, negotiators said on Wednesday, pointing to a tough road for the 11 nations hoping for a deal this year.

SINGAPORE : The Trade and Industry Ministry says "solid progress" has been made in the 16th round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade negotiations.The 10-day meeting in Singapore concluded on Wednesday amid speculation that Japan could announce its entry to TPP talks as early as Friday.When will Japan come onboard?