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The U.S. is close to reaching a trade deal with Japan, U.S. President Donald Trump said, as his trade chief hinted an announcement could come within hours.

“We’re very close to a major deal with Japan,” Trump said Sunday morning during a meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the Group of Seven summit, with Trump due to meet Japan’s Shinzo Abe later Sunday morning in France. “Prime Minister Abe and I are very good friends, really good friends. We’ve been working on it for five months.”

Japanese media have reported that the U.S. and Japan have agreed on a trade deal that will keep U.S. tariffs on Japanese cars in place while removing barriers to U.S. beef and pork sales to Japan.

At the breakfast with Johnson, Trump asked U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who also attended, to speak while reporters were gathered in the room. “I’m going to say: presumably something will be announced after we meet with the prime minister of Japan,” Lighthizer said.

Trump then reiterated that he was close to reaching what he described as a “very big deal” with Japan. “Frankly, I think what’s happening with China helps with respect to Japan. But it’s a very big deal. It will be one of the biggest deals we’ve ever made with Japan,” he said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Jennifer Jacobs in Biarritz, France at jjacobs68@bloomberg.net;Josh Wingrove in Biarritz, France at jwingrove4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Craig Gordon at cgordon39@bloomberg.net

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