Japan still hopes for U.S. trade deal signing by end-September - spokesman

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Japan still hopes to sign a trade deal with the United States by the end of September and there is still time to complete final negotiations to reach that goal, Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Masato Ohtaka said on Monday.

Ohtaka, in a briefing with reporters at the United Nations General Assembly, said that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi would discuss remaining trade issues at a meeting in New York later on Monday evening.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Kim Coghill)