Editing Keiretsu (section)

===United States–Japan bilateral relationship===
{{see also|Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations}}
By April 2015, [[Office of the United States Trade Representative|U.S. Trade Representative]] [[Michael Froman]] and Japanese Economy Minister [[Akira Amari]], representing the two largest economies of the 12-nation [[Trans-Pacific Partnership]], were involved in bilateral talks regarding agriculture and auto parts, the "two largest obstacles for Japan."<ref name="Bloomberg_US_Japan">{{citation |title=Japan, U.S. Seek Trade Pact Deals on Rice, Auto Parts |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-19/japan-u-s-seek-agreement-on-rice-auto-parts-for-trade-pact |work=Bloomberg |date=19 April 2015 |access-date=8 August 2015}}</ref> These bilateral accords would open each other's markets for products such as rice, pork and automobiles.<ref name="Bloomberg_US_Japan" />

During the two-day ministerial TPP negotiating session held in Singapore in May 2015, veteran US negotiator [[Wendy Cutler]] and Oe Hiroshi of the Japanese [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] held bilateral trade talks regarding one of the most contentious trade issues, automobiles. American negotiators wanted the Japanese to open their entire ''keiretsu'' structure, a cornerstone of the Japanese economy, to American automobiles. They wanted Japanese dealer networks such as Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, and Mazda to sell American cars.<ref name="Forbes_US_Japan">{{citation |title=Japan Auto Imports, TPP, and the Price of American 'Leadership'|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephenharner/2014/05/20/japan-auto-imports-tpp-and-the-price-of-american-leadership/ |date=20 May 2015 |access-date=8 August 2015 |author=Stephen Harner |work=Forbes}}</ref> The successful conclusion of these bilateral talks was necessary before the other ten TPP members could complete the trade deal.<ref name="Bloomberg_US_Japan" />