TOKYO (REUTERS) – Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is making preparations to meet with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in Washington on Aug 1 for ministerial-level trade talks, two sources familiar with the matter said.

The two last held talks last month in Osaka, where Japan hosted the Group of 20 (G-20) summit meeting.

US President Donald Trump has pressured Tokyo to speed up talks for a two-way trade deal that would open up Japan’s market for US goods, particularly in areas of agriculture, and fix what he sees as a huge bilateral trade imbalance.

(This story is developing.)

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