
TOKYO/WASHINGTON -- Japan is putting on a brave face as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes hard to shrink the bilateral trade imbalance, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe knows that making concessions on agricultural products will hurt him in the ruling party's leadership race.
Trump said on Friday that the two countries are starting discussions on trade. "And I'll tell you, if we don't make a deal with Japan, Japan knows it's a big problem," he said.