As a marathon session of talks in Tokyo draws to a close, a trade deal with Japan has moved closer to reality. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe will travel to Brussels for a summit next Thursday.

Cars and agriculture were the big sticking points at the start of this weekend’s discussions. European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström was joined by Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan who engaged in through-the-night discussions with his Japanese counterpart Hiroshi Moriyama, minister for agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

It is understood the framework for a deal is now in place, with many of the agri issues resolved. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the Japanese prime minster are expected to close the deal.

A free-trade agreement (FTA) with Japan would be good for Irish agriculture as Japan is a major net importer of agricultural produce. Currently just over 12% of the land in Japan is used for agricultural production.

Ireland exports some beef offal to Japan as well as pigmeat and dairy products. There is considerable scope to expand this business if the prohibitive tariffs are reduced. Currently a tariff of 38.5% exists for beef and around 13.5% for offal.

The industry is looking at what was on the table in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal before US president Donald Trump pulled the plug on it. In it Japan had agreed to reduce its tariff on fresh, chilled, and frozen beef cuts from 38.5% to 9% over 16 years. The US and Australia supply approximately 90% of Japan’s beef imports.

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