U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Tuesday expressed an eagerness to strike a free trade agreement with Japan "at some point" — an arrangement that Tokyo has adamantly opposed.
"We think we got to have a free trade agreement with Japan and hopefully we get to that stage at some point," Lighthizer said at a business forum in Washington.
He indicated that during new bilateral trade talks, the two governments will discuss Japan's request that Washington exempt Tokyo from new U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.