Japan, France to work toward free trade deal www.nhk.or.jp
The foreign ministers of Japan and France have agreed to work toward a broad free trade agreement between Japan and the European Union at an early date.
Fumio Kishida and Jean-Marc Ayrault held talks in France on Friday.
The ministers agreed that Japan and the EU would seek a broad agreement on an Economic Partnership Agreement at the earliest possible time to promote free trade amid concern over protectionism.
They also confirmed that they will coordinate their response to Britain's exit from the EU to minimize its effect on companies.
Kishida said after the meeting that Japan and France share basic values. He said Tokyo wants to deepen cooperation with the major European country in the fields of security and defense and continue working toward international peace and prosperity by upholding the free trade policy.
Published Date:2017-01-07