Japan PM Abe calls for strong G20 message on free trade

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday urged leaders from the Group of 20 major economies to deliver a strong message to support "free, fair and indiscriminate" trade as he expressed "deep concerns" over the current landscape of global trade.

Speaking on the first day of the two-day Osaka G20 summit meeting, Abe also said Japan, as a flag-bearer of free trade, would strongly promote improvement in a multilateral trade system and negotiations over agreements on economic cooperation. "Today, I want to discuss with leaders measures to further enhance momentum towards reform in WTO, (World Trade Organisation)", he said.