Category Archives: Trade Talks

Tsuneyoshi Fujii, head of agricultural policies department, The Japan Agricultural News Talks between Japan and the United States on a so-called Trade Agreement on Goods (TAG) have progressed rapidly after U.S. President Donald Trump indicated he is ready to impose additional tariffs on Japanese vehicle imports and Japan scrambled to avoid the move. This is a total nuisance for the agriculture sector. We should never allow agriculture to be victimized for the sake of preventing a potential blow on the auto industry. To begin with, the joint statement issued by Japan and the United States following a meeting by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Trump in September indicates that the … Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

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 →

TOKYO, Sept. 7 ― Japan’s largest farmers’ group chairman, Toru Nakaya, has told Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the country’s farmers are concerned if Tokyo would accept the U.S. demands under a new framework on bilateral trade issues. The meeting took place at the prime minister’s office on Sept. 6, one day before the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race campaign officially began. Abe has made his bid for a third term as the LDP president and thus retain his position as the prime minister. “During our meeting, the prime minister assumed me that he would not accept any terms with the U.S. that go beyond the TPP,” said … Continue reading →