Sep.30--JAPAN and the US have failed to make enough progress to resolve differences concerning car and farm trade, dashing hopes of sealing the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
"Japan made a flexible proposal, but we weren't able to make further progress," Trade Minister Akira Amari told reporters after two days of talks in Washington.
Mr Amari met with US Trade Representative Michael Froman, who had urged Tokyo to break the standoff, reported Reuters.
Mr Froman's office described the talks between the two sides as being "constructive working-level discussions".
"The United States continues to demonstrate a commitment to the level of ambition that all TPP countries agreed to attain when they entered negotiations," the US side said in a statement.
Participants in the TPP talks aim at a broad agreement by year-end to open up trade around the Pacific, although many observers remain sceptical that the group's two biggest economies are willing to make the sacrifices needed for a deal.