TOKYO — Japan sought on 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. Economics Minister Akira Amari formal talks with his US counterpart depnend on 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 US 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. 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. — Reuters
