A Japanese government task force is pulling together a list of negotiating points for the ongoing tariff talks with the US. It covers what Washington calls non-tariff trade barriers as well as Tokyo's plans to invest in America and boost imports from the country.



President Donald Trump has questioned why only a small number of US autos are sold in Japan.



The task force is considering Washington's requests to modify Japan's safety and electric vehicle charging standards. The Office of the United States Trade Representative called such rules non-tariff barriers. Tokyo is also considering measures to simplify the screening process for imported vehicles.



In addition, Washington has complained about the auto trade imbalance as Japan exports a much larger number of vehicles to the US.



The task force in response will highlight the investment by Japanese automakers in America and additional spending plans to boost local output.



Honda and Nissan have recently announced they will shift some production to the US from Japan. Toyota last month said it will invest 88 million dollars to boost output in its factory in West Virginia.



In the farming sector, Japan may increase imports of soybeans, as US shipments to China are expected to shrink due to trade disputes with Beijing.



Imports of American corn for livestock feed and biofuel could also increase.



Rice is also on the negotiation list. Japan has a tariff-free import scheme for the grain called "minimum access." The task force is discussing if more US rice could be included in this framework, but this has to be balanced against the interests of domestic farmers.