Category Archives: Trade Talks

Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said on April 25 his government will not guarantee the United States to offer deals similar to those agreed in negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade pact if Japan decides to purse a bilateral free trade agreement with the U.S., stressing that Japan’s gains in the bilateral trade talk differ from those in multilateral negotiations. By responding to a question raised at the session of the House of Councilors’ Committee on Financial Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister Aso emphasized the Japanese stance that his administration will not respond a request on removal or cuts of import tariffs of farm products exceeding the level … Continue reading →

Yuji Yamamoto, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan, told the press after the cabinet meeting on April 21 that he will take a cautious attitude toward a proposal on effectuation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade pact without the United States, which his government is aiming toward, saying “As far as I am concerned, I would like to consider this issue deliberately.” Shinzo Abe’s administration had been negative about looking to implementation of so-called “an 11-nation TPP” without the U.S., but recently changed its position because the U.S. government is unlikely to return to the TPP. MAFF’s Minister Yamamoto also pointed out that the U.S. and … Continue reading →

The first round of Japan-U.S. economic dialogue between Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence was held at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on April 18. When the number two men of Japanese and U.S. governments kicked off the economic dialogue, they did not exchange views in details on key trade issues including automobiles and farm products. In the joint press release published shortly after the meeting, however, the two governments confirmed that they will discuss on a subject of “a bilateral framework for setting high trade and investment standards.” At the press conference held after the meeting, furthermore, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence … Continue reading →

Japanese government is considering the possibility of seeking for enforcement of an 11-country Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade pack without the United States. Officials of Shinzo Abe’s administration planned to persistently keep its policy to put the 12-country TPP into practice, saying “The TPP pack without the U.S. will be useless.” The government of Japan, however, has found it considerably difficult to urge President Donald Trump’s administration to come back to TPP instead of promoting its own bilateral trade deals. Therefore, the Japanese government will make efforts to precede the enforcement of the 11-country TPP agreement for the time being, hoping those efforts will press the U.S. to be impatient … Continue reading →

Yuji Yamamoto, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan, attended the March 22 session of the Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Committee of the House of Councilors and answered a question asking how he will respond if the U.S. government demands Japan to further liberalize its agricultural market at the coming Japan-U.S. Economic Dialogue that is expected to begin this April, saying “we will not make any compromises at the dialogue.” Minister Yamamoto also suggested that it will not be possible for Japan to accept a higher level of farm trade liberalization exceeding that of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement. On March 14, Robert Lighthizer, the United States … Continue reading →