Deal with U.S. a short-term fix, Japan's push for free trade at stake

The sped-up conclusion of a bilateral trade agreement with the United States is a short-term relief for Japan after it made a strategic shift a year ago to its own defense.But the deal reached between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday may cloud the outlook for Japan's goal to promote multilateral trade arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region.Although Japanese officials say it is a "balanced" agreement, some trade experts have cast doubts on the degree of trade liberalization it embodies as the United States will keep its existing tariffs on Japa…READ FULL ARTICLE