Category Archives: Trade Talks

TOKYO, Nov. 12 — Japan is stepping up efforts on farm reforms “with a necessary review,” following a political agreement to salvage the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) without the United States, Agriculture Minister Ken Saito has said. “The TPP-11 agreement is part of the implementation process to bring into effect the original TPP as early as possible,” Saito told reporters at a Nov. 12 press conference. The minister stressed this way allows for the United States to come back to the deal if it wishes. The U.S. withdrew from the TPP on Jan. 23. Saito also said “We will explain to farmers more details about the TPP-11 agreement” as well as … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Nov. 1 — A Japanese government analysis of the agricultural sections of the Japan-EU free trade agreement has revealed that tariff cuts on sensitive products such as dairy and meat may negatively impact in the long term by increasing EU imports. The analysis suggests that Tokyo will offer Brussels the same level of market openings, as large as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Once the agreement is fully implemented, Japan will scrap import tariffs on 82 percent of agriculture and food products imported from the EU. All industrial imports will be allowed to enter Japan entirely duty-free. Despite tariff cuts on other agriculture products, rice is excluded from the agreement … Continue reading →

TOKYO, Nov. 7 — U.S. President Donald Trump has been calling on Japan to reduce its trade surplus with the United States, blaming his country’s trade deficit on unfair trade deals between the two. Japan’s Prime minister Shinzo Abe met Trump on Nov. 6 in Tokyo, the first destination of the president’s Asia trip, to discuss primarily North Korea and trade. Both have agreed to accelerate engagement on trade through the ongoing Japan-U.S. Economic Dialogue between Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso and Vice President Mike Pence, Japanese government officials explained. But during the meeting, Trump didn’t ask Abe to launch bilateral trade negotiations with the U.S., they said. Speaking at … Continue reading →

Chief negotiators of 11 signatory countries to the Trans-Pacific Partnership held talks in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, in late October and early November to work out details of a new deal following withdrawal of the Unite States from the free trade pact in January. The negotiations were held at a hotel located within a stone’s throw of Tokyo Disneyland, and because it was the Halloween season, the negotiators wearing business suits ended up walking through the hotel floor filled with people dressed as Disney characters. Japanese government officials said they looked for a hotel in the whole of the main island of Japan and it was the only hotel they could … Continue reading →

DANANG, Vietnam, Nov. 12 — Trade ministers from the remaining Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) members reached a Nov. 11 political agreement to keep the trade deal alive without the United States, despite Canada’s last-minute balking at the talks. They agreed to suspend 20 provisions of the original TPP, mostly dealing with intellectual property rights such as the data exclusivity period for biologic drugs, until the U.S. might return to the deal. The TPP has also been renamed as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) with 11 members. The CPTPP countries are Japan, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, Chile, Peru and Vietnam. “It is an important … Continue reading →