[Editorial] De facto Japan-U.S. FTA unacceptable (Sept. 28, 2018)

We can’t help thinking that Japan and the United States have opened talks for a de facto Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump have agreed in a meeting to launch new bilateral negotiations on trade, including tariffs on farm products, to reach what they call a Trade Agreement on Goods (TAG). The move deserves strong criticism as it largely contradicts the Japanese government’s stance denying an FTA with the U.S. The two also agreed that the U.S. would not pose additional tariffs on vehicle imports from Japan so long as both sides are engaged in market-opening discussions. It appears that the Japanese government … Continue reading

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Japan denies FTA with US, but US calls it FTA talks anyway

NEW YORK, Sept. 28 ― Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stressed new trade talks with the U.S. are different from a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA), when the two countries announced to enter into negotiations. “This is totally different from any comprehensive FTAs that Japan signed before,” Abe told reporters after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings in New York on Sept. 26. Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also stressed that the new trade talks focus on goods and do not include rules on investment and services. “Categorically, we can’t call this as a comprehensive FTA,” Motegi said. An awkward explanation … Continue reading

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Faced with auto tariff, Japan agrees to enter trade talks with US

NEW YORK, Sept. 28 ― Japan has agreed to begin negotiations for a trade agreement on goods (TAG) with the United States, in a move that may shield Tokyo from the U.S.’s proposed harsh tariffs on Japanese vehicle imports, for the time being. The new trade talks will start after the two sides complete necessary domestic procedures, which will likely happen early next year. On Sept. 26, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met U.S. President Donald Trump in New York at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. “The new trade talks will focus on goods and this is not a negotiation for a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA),” … Continue reading

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Japan’s farm ministry launches export assessment services

TOKYO, Sept. 1 ― Japan’s agriculture ministry is ready to help farmers find markets to export their products. Japan’s agriculture ministry has launched the Global Farmers Project (GFP), which offers export assessment for farmers and matchmaking services to let farmers match with traders for exports. Farmers can create their online profiles; they need to fill out additional requirement information including their export products, volume and destinations that they are interested in. The agriculture ministry, with the help of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Tokyo-based wholesaler Tokyo Seika Co. and others who have farm export expertise, will assess farmers’ profiles and offer them advices.

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Disaster-hit Okayama governor appeals locally grown grapes

TOKYO, Sept. 8 ― Ryuta Ibaragi, governor of Okayama Prefecture, which was hit hard by the torrential rains in July, has campaigned to promote his local grapes, Shine Muscat and Pione, which command huge price premiums. Ibaragi showed up at a Tokyo outlet to offer tasting local grapes to consumers at a Tokyo outlet on Sept. 7. “The grapes are sweet and luscious,” the governor said. “I was concerned about the acute heat after the heavy rains, but I am relieved to supply high-quality grapes.”

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