April 3, 200719 yr TOKYO: Japan and Thailand signed a free trade agreement Tuesday that will cut tariffs on a wide range of traded goods, from seafood to automobiles. The deal still requires parliamentary approval in Japan, but that is widely expected. The Thai Cabinet has already given final approval to the accord after it was debated in the Thai legislature. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont signed the agreement at a ceremony in Tokyo. The signing comes a day after South Korea and the U.S. concluded talks for a free trade agreement between their two nations, reflecting the proliferation of bilateral trade deals amid stalled World Trade Organization negotiations aimed at forging a global trade treaty. The Thai-Japanese agreement, which reduces or iminates tariffs on farm products and manufactured goods, will boost bilateral trade that already totals 1.65 trillion baht (US$44 billion;
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