EU, Japan have ‘agreement in principle’ on free trade deal

BRUSSELS — The European Union and Japan have agreed “in principle” on a free trade deal that will affect an overwhelming majority of commerce between the two economic giants and will be officially endorsed at a summit of their leaders Thursday.

EU Council President Donald Tusk and Japanese Prime Minister Abe will meet Thursday and will be able to shake hands on the landmark deal, which took four years of negotiations.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said in a Tweet that “We’ve reached political agreement” and “now recommend to leaders to confirm this” at their short summit on the eve of the G-20 meeting of top leaders in Hamburg, Germany.

A senior EU official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity ahead of Thursday’s summit, said that the deal with the Japanese “means we have agreed on almost everything of importance to either side.”