"We’ve agreed today to start trade negotiations between the United States and Japan. This was something that for various reasons over the years Japan was unwilling to do, and now they are willing to do, so we’re very happy about that," Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
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Last year, Japan had the third-largest trade surplus with the US after China and Mexico. The Japanese officials said they might agree to either reducing the number of exports to the US or increasing the volume of American imports.
The US appears to be more interested in the latter option — as the Trump administration is seeking to fix America's trade imbalances by promoting US exports rather than by disrupting international trade.