TOKYO, Nov. 21 – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received questions on Nov. 20 from representatives of both the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and opposition parties at a plenary session of the Lower House regarding the policy speech he delivered on Nov. 17.
Responding to a question from Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the Party of Hope (Kibo no To), the second-largest opposition force, Abe denied that he and United States President Donald Trump had discussions on a bilateral trade framework when they met in Tokyo on Nov. 6.
“There was no talk on a Japan-U.S. free trade agreement in my conversation with President Trump,” Abe said.
Abe’s remarks run counter to those of U.S. Ambassador William Hagerty, who said in a speech last week at the Japan National Press Club that the two leaders “did discuss this tool,” referring to an FTA.
Abe’s flat denial has brought to light the conflicting views of the two countries concerning the issue, and could become the focus of future debate at the Diet.
Abe also said the government plans to release the estimates of the economic impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal agreed upon by TPP-11 nations without the U.S. after revising the measures to cope with the effects of the new trade pact.