EU, Japan cut tariffs

THE European Union and Japan are signing a widespread trade deal that will eliminate nearly all tariffs, seemingly defying the worries about trade tensions set off by President Donald Trump’s policies.

The signing is ceremonial, delayed from earlier this month because Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cancelled going to Brussels after a flooding disaster in southwestern Japan caused more than 200 deaths.

European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker arrived on Monday.

Both sides are heralding the deal, which covers a third of the global economy and more than 600 million people.