TOKYO, Jan. 12 (UPI) — Japan defended its trade relations with the United States, a day after U. S. President-elect Donald Trump said at his first 2017 press conference « hundreds of billions of dollars of losses » face the country because of a trade imbalance with partners like Japan.
In an indirect response to the president-elect’s remarks, Tokyo’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Thursday Japan favors « active trade and investment » because it is at « the root of the vitality of U. S.-Japan economic relations, » Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reported.
Suga added Tokyo would prepare a « plan to further develop and advance the economic relationship » between the two countries, and that the principle would prevail regardless of who becomes president.
Last week Trump also criticized Japanese carmaker Toyota for plans to build a new factory in Mexico in order to sell automobiles to U. S. consumers. The tweeted message was met with a reply from Toyota, assuring the president-elect that the plant would not take jobs from the United States.
On Thursday, Suga said the United States « supports free trade » and that position will lead the way, according to the Japanese press report.
The official also said Japanese companies have invested a total of $411 billion and employs about 840,000 Americans, quoting U. S. Department of Commerce data.
« Japanese companies are good corporate citizens of the United States and well known to Americans, » Suga said.
Japan continues to support the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multilateral trade agreement among countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to discuss the future of the TPP with his Australian counterpart during a state visit, according to The Australian .
Trump has opposed the deal, but his pick for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson , told the U. S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he is not opposed to the agreement, which the United States has signed but not yet ratified.

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Nintendo Co. said Friday that its Nintendo Switch video game console will sell for 29,980 yen (about $260) in Japan, starting March 3.
The Kyoto-based maker of Super Mario and Pokemon games made the announcement in Tokyo.
It said the console will sell for $299.99 in North America. The company said customers would need to ask retailers in Europe for prices there.
Anticipation has been growing ahead of the release of the Switch. Nintendo has shown players with a handheld whose remote controller section with buttons detaches from the left and right sides of the main part of the display.
Players can play the device as a regular handheld, place the display on a table, or use the screen of a TV set, connecting by wireless.
Nintendo will be hoping the Switch will buttress a turnaround after disappointing sales of the Wii U and the 3DS handheld.

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Friday morning the house of President Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City.
Abe joined Duterte for breakfast at the President’s modest home in Doña Luisa Subdivision in Matina District.
Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go shared photos of Duterte and Abe inside the house of the chief executive.
“Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe inside the simple home of Pres. Duterte. We also showed him how the President enjoys the comfort of his own bed, including his old and favorite mosquito net,” Go said in a Facebook post.
The President had said he can’t sleep without his mosquito net even if he was staying in hotels.
Go said Abe and his party, joined by the President and other officials, had biko, suman, kutsinta and mongo soup. The two leaders, he said were at the President’s house for 45 minutes.
Abe arrived in the country on Thursday afternoon for a two-day official visit. He is the first head of state to visit the Philippines under the Duterte administration and also the highest ranking foreign public official to ever set foot in Davao City. CDG

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