TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Thursday that the government was prepared to help small businesses and farms depending on the outcome of trade talks with the United States, expected to be finalised and signed next week.
"We're working on the negotiations now," Nishimura told reporters in a briefing. "If necessary, we will make sure to support mid-size and small companies and farms," depending on what is agreed with the United States, he added.
U.S. President Donald Trump said this week he had struck trade agreements with Tokyo but left unclear whether he had agreed not to impose threatened national security tariffs on Japanese vehicles and auto parts - a critical issue to Japan.
Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have said they hoped to sign an agreement at this month's United Nations General Assembly in New York.
