EU, Japan Forge Ahead in Trade Talks as Trump Gives Impetus

Both sides urge open markets amid U.S. protectionist tilt
Japanese Premier Abe cites ‘the flag of free trade as a model’

Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, left, greets Donald Tusk, president of the European Union, ahead of a news conference at the European Council in Brussels, Belgium, on March 21, 2017.
Photographer: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg

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By Jonathan Stearns

March 21, 2017 at 1:36 PM UTC

Updated on

March 21, 2017 at 2:24 PM UTC

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The European Union and Japan signaled stepped-up efforts to reach a free-trade agreement, seeking to counter U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist tilt.

At a press conference in Brussels on Tuesday, EU President Donald Tusk said the 28-nation bloc is “fully committed” to wrapping up four years of negotiations with Japan “very soon” and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged both sides to “show to the world the flag of free trade as a model.”