Currency, auto, customs concerns aired at USTR hearing on U.S.-Japan FTA

A U.S.-Japan free trade deal should include adequate currency protections, address differences in vehicle standards and facilitate smoother customs procedures, industry representatives said during a Monday hearing on potential negotiating objectives. More than 40 witnesses were featured during the Dec. 10 hearing, held by the Trade Policy Staff Committee, a panel of interagency officials chaired by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. As outlined in the 2015 Trade Promotion Authority law, the earliest the U.S. can formally begin talks...