Negotiations between Japan and Mexico for a free-trade agreement are on track and the two countries are likely to hold a ministerial meeting by the end of March to try to finalize the deal.
A senior official of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said Wednesday on condition of anonymity that Mexican farm minister Javier Usabiaga will visit Japan in the second week of March to meet with agriculture minister Yoshiyuki Kamei to hammer out an agreement over the agricultural sector.
A formal ministerial meeting involving more ministers, including Mexican Economy Secretary Fernando Canales, will be held later, he said.
The official's remarks came after the two countries started what appear to be final working-level talks for an FTA earlier in the day in Tokyo. The talks are expected to continue until March 5.
Yorizumi Watanabe, deputy director general of the Foreign Ministry's Economic Affairs Bureau and head of Japan's delegation, said, "We had made a quite meaningful and hopeful development toward the end of January."
Watanabe said both sides should show flexibility over contentious items. "The Mexican side had sufficient time to elaborate on Japanese offers and the Japanese side had sufficient time to renew our commitment and think about our new proposals."