Ag groups stress ‘urgency,’ TPP-level market access in Japan-U.S. hearing

Agriculture groups on Monday told the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative they urgently need Japanese market access akin to what the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other recent trade agreements have offered trading partners. The interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee, chaired by USTR, held a hearing to seek input on negotiating objectives for a trade deal with Japan. The U.S. could start talks with Tokyo as early as mid-January. The committee heard from 12 witnesses representing U.S. agriculture, including the beef,...