Trump and Abe agree to intensify trade consultations

U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that they had agreed to intensify trade consultations between the two longtime allies.
Trump repeated his desire to do something about U.S. trade imbalances with Tokyo. He said earlier on Wednesday he thought the United States would soon be able to trim its trade deficit with Japan and that Tokyo planned to order large numbers of U.S. aircraft.
“In order to benefit both Japan and the U.S., we will further expand trade and investment between the two countries,” Abe told reporters at a news conference. “President Trump and I agreed to start talks for free, fair and reciprocal trade deals…the Japan-U.S. alliance is not just limited to security, but it also contributes to the peace and prosperity of the world, as well as the region.
“On the economic front, Japan and the U.S. will take a lead and develop a free and fair market in the Indo-Pacific region. Under President Trump, exports from the U.S., including energy, aircraft, amongst others, have already been increasing significantly…As for section 232, Japanese steel and aluminum would not exert any negative influence on the US security.”
Trump went on to say, “We’re also working to improve our economic partnership by reducing our trade imbalance and removing barriers to U.S. exports. The United States is committed to free, fair and reciprocal — very important word — trade, and we’re committed to pursuing a bilateral trading relationship that benefits both of our great countries. Prime Minister Abe and I have agreed to intensify our trade and investment consultations.”