日英閣僚、貿易交渉大詰め　７日まで、自動車と農産品焦点

　【ロンドン時事】訪英中の茂木敏充外相は６日、トラス英国際貿易相と会談し、新たな貿易協定の締結に向けた大詰めの交渉に入った。日本は自動車・同部品、英国は農産品の貿易自由化をそれぞれ要求。７日までの閣僚協議で大筋合意できるかが焦点だ。
　英国の欧州連合（ＥＵ）離脱により、日欧の経済連携協定（ＥＰＡ）で定めた関税優遇措置は今年末までしか英国に適用されない。日英間で新たな協定を結ばないと日本車の関税は１０％（現在７．５％）に引き上げられ、産業界で混乱も予想される。（2020/08/06-18:16）

Visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and British international trade secretary Elizabeth Truss on Thursday started last-minute negotiations on concluding a new bilateral trade deal.
   Japan is calling on Britain to open its automobile and auto parts markets further, while Britain is seeking more liberalization of Japan's farm market. The ministers are eager to reach a broad agreement in the two-day negotiations until Friday.
   Following Britain's exit from the European Union, preferential tariff measures under the Japan-EU economic partnership agreement will expire for Britain at the end of this year.
   The British tariff rate on Japanese vehicles, for example, will rise to 10 pct from the current 7.5 pct unless a new bilateral trade pact is put into effect. The two countries began trade deal talks in June, aiming to reach a broad agreement this summer.
   Japan hopes to have Britain liberalize its auto and auto parts markets more than under the Japan-EU EPA. Under the EPA, tariffs on Japanese vehicles exported to the EU will be abolished in 2026. The EPA already scrapped tariffs on 92 pct of auto parts from Japan in terms of trade value.