TOKYO, Dec. 17(Xinhua) -- Japan and Colombia held the first round of free trade agreement talks in Tokyo on Monday.

Japan aims to increase auto exports to Colombia and hopes the tariffs can be eliminated, Japanese media said.

The two countries discussed areas to be covered by the bilateral free trade pact. The Japanese side was represented by Jun Yokota, ambassador in charge of economic diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry.

"The joint study we conducted has highlighted the fact that both countries have a mutual, complementary economic relationship, " Yokota said at the outset of the talks. "In my view, that will allow us to construct a win-win relationship," Kyodo News Agency quoted Yokota as saying.

Javier Gamboa, Colombia's chief negotiator, said Japan is " definitely the key" in Bogota's strategy of being "close" to the Asia-Pacific region.

Both countries agreed that the next round of FTA talks would be held in Colombia next year.

December 17, 2012

Source:Xinhua

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