REUTERS
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, right, talks to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, left, and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, second from left, during the 9th Asia-Europe Summit Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on Nov. 5. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
BRUSSELS/TOKYO -- Britain is trying to convince France and Italy to agree to negotiations with Japan to create a free-trade area with the European Union despite concerns that a deal would hurt the continent's weaker carmakers.