Twelve countries negotiating Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade rules, including Japan, reconfirmed at a ministerial meeting Thursday the goal of concluding their talks by the end of this year.
Japan will participate in discussions in a proactive and constructive manner to conclude the TPP talks by the year-end, Akira Amari, Japanese minister in charge of TPP negotiations, said in the first round of the two-day meeting.
Still, Japan, which joined the negotiations in July, is aiming to maintain its tariffs on five key items including rice and sugar, with Amari pointing out during the day's session that every country has a certain set of important items.
