Japan, US agree on trade talks

New framework designed to allow parties to save face

NEW YORK - US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed on Wednesday to start trade talks in an arrangement that, for now, protects Japanese automakers from further tariffs, seen as a major threat to the export-dependent economy.

The two countries said in a statement the talks "will respect positions of the other government", drawing lines on autos and Japan's agriculture sector.