The White House announced this week that President Obama will host Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan for an official visit to the White House on April 28, with progress on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations among the items to be discussed. The full announcement is available online.

Few details have emerged from the recent TPP chief negotiators meeting in Hawaii, which concluded March 15. Bilateral discussions between the United States and Japan were held this week, but those talks were focused specifically on automobile trade. No dates for the next full round of TPP negotiations have yet been announced, but recent media reports suggest that a ministerial-level meeting will be held in mid-to-late May.