diff --git a/Lib/argparse.py b/Lib/argparse.py
index 202f2cb..3b1a079 100644
--- a/Lib/argparse.py
+++ b/Lib/argparse.py
@@ -1140,11 +1140,17 @@
             same values as the builtin open() function.
         - bufsize -- The file's desired buffer size. Accepts the same values as
             the builtin open() function.
+        - encoding -- The file's encoding. Accepts the same values as the
+            the builtin open() function.
+        - errors -- A string indicating how encoding and decoding errors are to
+            be handled. Accepts the same value as the builtin open() function.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, mode='r', bufsize=-1):
+    def __init__(self, mode='r', bufsize=-1, encoding=None, errors=None):
         self._mode = mode
         self._bufsize = bufsize
+        self._encoding = encoding
+        self._errors = errors
 
     def __call__(self, string):
         # the special argument "-" means sys.std{in,out}
@@ -1159,14 +1165,18 @@
 
         # all other arguments are used as file names
         try:
-            return open(string, self._mode, self._bufsize)
+            return open(string, self._mode, self._bufsize, self._encoding,
+                        self._errors)
         except IOError as e:
             message = _("can't open '%s': %s")
             raise ArgumentTypeError(message % (string, e))
 
     def __repr__(self):
         args = self._mode, self._bufsize
-        args_str = ', '.join(repr(arg) for arg in args if arg != -1)
+        kwargs = [('encoding', self._encoding), ('errors', self._errors)]
+        args_str = ', '.join([repr(arg) for arg in args if arg != -1] +
+                             ['%s=%r' % (kw, arg) for kw, arg in kwargs
+                              if arg is not None])
         return '%s(%s)' % (type(self).__name__, args_str)
 
 # ===========================
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_argparse.py b/Lib/test/test_argparse.py
index c06c940..00cde2e 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_argparse.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_argparse.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 from io import StringIO
 
 from test import support
+from unittest import mock
 class StdIOBuffer(StringIO):
     pass
 
@@ -1421,6 +1422,19 @@
         type = argparse.FileType('wb', 1)
         self.assertEqual("FileType('wb', 1)", repr(type))
 
+    def test_r_latin(self):
+        type = argparse.FileType('r', encoding='latin_1')
+        self.assertEqual("FileType('r', encoding='latin_1')", repr(type))
+
+    def test_w_big5_ignore(self):
+        type = argparse.FileType('w', encoding='big5', errors='ignore')
+        self.assertEqual("FileType('w', encoding='big5', errors='ignore')",
+                         repr(type))
+
+    def test_r_1_replace(self):
+        type = argparse.FileType('r', 1, errors='replace')
+        self.assertEqual("FileType('r', 1, errors='replace')", repr(type))
+
 
 class RFile(object):
     seen = {}
@@ -1557,6 +1571,24 @@
     ]
 
 
+class TestFileTypeOpenArgs(TestCase):
+    """Test that open (the builtin) is correctly called"""
+
+    def test_open_args(self):
+        FT = argparse.FileType
+        cases = [
+            (FT('rb'), ('rb', -1, None, None)),
+            (FT('w', 1), ('w', 1, None, None)),
+            (FT('w', errors='replace'), ('w', -1, None, 'replace')),
+            (FT('wb', encoding='big5'), ('wb', -1, 'big5', None)),
+            (FT('w', 0, 'l1', 'strict'), ('w', 0, 'l1', 'strict')),
+        ]
+        with mock.patch('builtins.open') as m:
+            for type, args in cases:
+                type('foo')
+                m.assert_called_with('foo', *args)
+
+
 class TestTypeCallable(ParserTestCase):
     """Test some callables as option/argument types"""