Category Archives: Trade Talks

【News】 Japan and EU get near to final stage of Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations? (Dec. 3, 2016)

It is increasingly anticipated that negotiations on the Japan-European Union Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) will make a sudden progress this month. Members of EU’s negotiating team will visit Japan next week starting December 4 in order to reach broad agreement on the EPA with their counterparts of the Japanese Government by the end of this year. Working-level talks will be held by officials of the EU Commission and Japanese Government in Tokyo. A farm trade is one of the controversial agendas in the EPA negotiations, in which EU has been requesting the Japanese Government to open a market of dairy products more than Japan will liberalize it when the Trans-Pacific … Continue reading

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【News】 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe refrains from touching future FTA negotiations between Japan & U.S. (Nov. 26, 2016)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated definitely at a plenary session of the House of Council on November 25 that he has no intention to meet a demand to be made by the United States that Japan should open a market for U.S. farm products more than the market is to be liberalized under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement. With regard to bilateral trade negotiations between Japan and the United States, Shinzo Abe refrained from touching the possibilities. He did not clearly answered a question on what kind of response his administration will make when the U.S. Government proposes to conclude a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) between Japan … Continue reading

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【News】Lower house approves TPP despite Trump victory, 300 anti-TPP protesters rally in front of diet demanding Japanese lawmakers to stop making haste decision and ignoring farmers’ agony (Nov. 11, 2016)

On Nov. 10, 2016, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, passed a proposal to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement and approved related legislation. Farmers and other anti-TPP ratification protesters expressed their frustration and anger against the bill that cleared at the Lower House plenary session when the outlook for the pact is uncertain due to Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election. Protestors are questioning why only Japan has to rush into the decision, ignoring the opinions of farmers. Lower House approves TPP despite Trump victory  People gathered in protest against lawmakers’ decision on TPP ratification (In Nagatacho, Tokyo, on Nov. 10, 2016)   … Continue reading

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【Report】Angry voters, including farmers, elect Trump U.S. president(Nov.16&17,2016)

[Washington, D.C./ By Ed Maixner, Journalist] In upset surprising pollsters and politicians in the United States and worldwide, Donald Trump, the American Republican Party candidate, won four years as president of the United States this week, riding to victory on a tidal wave of angry working class voters fed up with the central government in Washington, DC. Many still smart from the big recession of 2009 that they believe has cost them jobs and economic security, and they blame political leaders. Although Clinton won the usually Democratic-leaning west coast and northeast regions of the U.S., Trump swept up strong margins across all southern states and nearly all other inland states, which … Continue reading

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【News】 Shinzo Abe acknowledges “considerably tough situation” in prospect for TPP agreement’s take-off due to Donald Trump’s triumph in U.S. presidential election (Nov. 15, 2016)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said “Frankly speaking, I understand it will be considerably tough for the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP free trade agreement to take effect” at the TPP special committee of the House of Councilors on November 14. The Prime Minister acknowledged the difficult situation surrounding the TPP agreement which was brought about by Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election, who repeatedly stated in his election campaign that the United States would quickly drop out of the TPP if he moved into the White House. At the same time, however, Shinzo Abe emphasized that his administration will continuously take leadership in making the TPP pact come into … Continue reading

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