The dispute made the Japanese chief negotiator Ryosei Akazawa this week cancel a planned meeting in Washington DC, reports the Japanese newspaper Nikkei.
The rice dispute has flared up since President Donald Trump ahead of the final negotiations demanded that Japan increase its import of rice from the US, as well as that Japan lower the tariffs on agricultural products from the US.
According to Akazawa, in light of Trump's demands for rice imports from the US, more talks at the official level will be needed to move forward in the tariff talks.
We will begin the actual implementation phase of the agreement, but there are discussions that must be completed before that, says Akazawa.
