TOKYO -- Japan aims to implement two major trade deals in 2019, but the glaring absence of the two biggest economies from those frameworks highlights the tough road ahead as the country seeks to become a global business hub.
Following the agreements on the 11-member Trans-Pacific Partnership, and on the economic partnership with the European Union, government officials met Monday with business groups and companies likely to be affected by the trade pacts. They promised to secure funding for measures designed to help domestic industry remain internationally competitive.
