Japan, Canada begin EPA talks

Japan and Canada have launched talks on an Economic Partnership Agreement. Japanese trade officials will call on the Canadian side to remove or lower tariffs on Japanese industrial products such as cars.  The 5-day EPA negotiations are taking place at Japan's Foreign Ministry in Tokyo, according to Japan's (NHK WORLD) website.  Japanese Ambassador in charge of economic diplomacy Jun Yokota said the economic ties between Japan and Canada are complementary and a free trade accord would further strengthen relations.  Trade between the two countries totals over 20 billion US dollars annually. Japan mainly exports cars and electronic equipment to Canada.  Besides tariff cuts, Japanese officials want to secure stable supplies of coal and shale gas from Canada.  Canada will likely ask Japan to remove or lower tariffs on agricultural products including wheat and pork. The Japanese officials are expected to take a cautious approach to prevent possible damage to domestic farmers.