US, Japan face big gaps in trade talks on car market: US official

New York

ACTING Deputy US Trade Representative Wendy Cutler said on Monday that "significant gaps" in the trade negotiations remain between the United States and Japan regarding access for US cars in the Japanese market.

"Japan has zero tariffs on autos and trucks, and yet access to the Japanese automotive market is limited. There is an array of non-tariff barriers in Japan that have effectively closed the Japanese auto market to US producers," Ms Cutler said in prepared remarks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations delivered at the Japan Society in New York.

"And as a result, when Japan joined the (TPP) negotiation, we asked and Japan agreed to launching a separate bilateral parallel negotiation on automotive non-…