Maehara, Britain’s Hague agree to work toward Japan-EU FTA
Mainichi Daily News, Japan
Maehara, Britain’s Hague agree to work toward Japan-EU FTA
25 September 2010
NEW YORK (Kyodo) — Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara and his British counterpart William Hague agreed Friday that their countries will work toward the launch of negotiations on signing a free trade agreement between Japan and the European Union, a Japanese official said.
During their talks on the sidelines of U.N. General Assembly meetings in New York, Hague urged Japan to liberalize its market by lowering nontariff barriers, while Maehara called for Japan to be granted enhanced access to the European market.
The two foreign ministers did not have enough time to discuss Japan’s relations with China following rising tensions between Tokyo and Beijing over maritime collisions in the East China Sea, and Hague expressed hope that they would be able to hold such discussions next time, the official said.
