By Reuters
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is making preparations to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in Washington on Aug. 1 for ministerial-level trade talks, two sources familiar with the matter said.
The two last held talks last month in Osaka, where Japan hosted the Group of 20 (G20) summit meeting.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pressured Tokyo to speed up talks for a two-way trade deal that would open up Japan’s market for U.S. goods, particularly in areas of agriculture, and fix what he sees as a huge bilateral trade imbalance.
(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Michael Perry)