Abe promotes merits of Japan-U.S. trade pact, vows steps for farmers

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday Japan's national interests are protected under a trade agreement with the United States but he vowed to prepare measures to address the concerns of farmers in the country before the pact takes effect."Because rice, which is important to our country, was exempted from tariffs cuts, it is an outcome that protects our national interests," Abe said during a meeting in Tokyo of senior editors from Kyodo News member newspapers."We will take sufficient measures...by the end of the year to deal with worries among farmers," Abe said.Earlier in the day, Abe inst…READ FULL ARTICLE