Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his New Zealand counterpart John Key pledged further cooperation Tuesday to wrap up the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations soon.
Speaking to reporters alongside Key at the prime minister¡¯s office in Tokyo, Abe said the two leaders also agreed to jointly address international issues such as terrorism, reform of the United Nations and arms reduction.
¡°We agreed to the importance of concluding the TPP negotiations and a strategic importance, including its potential for wider trade and economic integration across the Asia-Pacific,¡± Key said after the summit with Abe.
¡°We reaffirmed New Zealand¡¯s desire to see negotiations completed as soon as possible and a comprehensive high-ambition deal achieved consistent with the undertakings made by all TPP leaders,¡± he added.
Key¡¯s visit to Japan, his first since September 2012, came amid ongoing behind-the-scenes talks on the free trade deal that the 12 participating countries hope to conclude this year.
He arrived in Japan on Tuesday for a two-day visit accompanied by trade minister Tim Groser, who is scheduled to meet Wednesday with Akira Amari, Japan¡¯s minister in charge of TPP negotiations.
Seeking a higher degree of liberalization, New Zealand, the world¡¯s largest exporter of dairy products, is hoping Japan will open up that sector via the TPP, which would encompass about 40 percent of the global economy.
But dairy products for Japan are one of the ¡°sacred¡± farm products whose tariffs the Diet has vowed in resolutions to protect.
On disaster prevention, Abe and Key reiterated cooperation as the heads of nations with tragic experiences with earthquakes.
¡°Stability and prosperity in the Pacific region are a common interest of both countries,¡± Abe said.
He said Japan and New Zealand will work together for a successful Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, known as PALM, to be held in May in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.
Launched in 1997 and held every three years, the gathering will discuss issues such as disaster prevention and climate change.
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