Japan's economy minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, comments
- Economic recovery is continuing
- Discussed on agricultural, industrial goods with US on trade talks
- Says that differences do remain in both sides' stances
The headline comment is like a paid advert to endorse Abe's plan to raise the sales tax in October. But the part on trade talks with US is a bit more interesting.
If you notice, Japan has been very careful not to mention any part of a currency/exchange rate pact, which is among the more prominent issue that the US wants to address in trade talks, in their remarks. In essence, that shows their stance on the matter as well; in that they aren't willing to agree to such a clause as it would mean throwing away their goal to reach the BOJ's 2% inflation target.
