【News】 President Donald Trump makes America permanently withdraw from TPP, criticizing Japan’s “unfair” practices on auto imports and exports (Jan. 25, 2017)

Posted on 2017-01-30 by The Japan Agricultural News

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to permanently pull the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on January 23, aiming at pursuing bilateral free trade opportunities with U.S. allies around the world. The U.S. new administration does not have any plan to renegotiate the TPP free trade pact. The TPP free trade agreement does not come into effect without U.S. engagement in this regional trade deals. U.S. President’s order announced on January 23 made it perfectly impossible to foresee when the TPP trade pact will take effect. On January 23, U.S. President Trump touched upon Japanese engagement in unfair practices on automobile trades, sending a clear … Continue reading →

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【News】 U.S. President Trump starts his “America first” trade policy by signing order to pull out of TPP (Jan. 26, 2017)

Posted on 2017-01-27 by The Japan Agricultural News

The 45th President of the United States Donald Trump, 70, made an official announcement that his administration ends U.S.’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), immediately after he took office on January 20. The TPP free trade pack will not come into effect if the U.S. is not a part of it. U.S.’s withdrawal from the Partnership has made it decisive for the TPP to be getting further adrift during years to come. U.S. President Trump delivered an inaugural address, repeatedly promising “America first.” The presidential inauguration speech served to signal that Trump will begin fulfilling his campaign promises such as a protective trade policy. It becomes more of a … Continue reading →

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【News】 Wood industry’s concerns grow over an increase in imports of laminated wood under Japan-EU EPA (Jan. 25, 2017)

Posted on 2017-01-27 by The Japan Agricultural News

Stakeholders of the Japanese forest industry including local wood manufacturers are growing their concerns about negotiations between Japan and the European Union (EU) on their Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). Japan has been importing lots of lumber and laminated wood products from member countries of EU. If the Japanese government agrees on elimination of import tariffs on the wood products as did for the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact, an increase in imports of EU’s wood products will place a heavy stress on domestic related industries by reducing demands for local products. Negotiators of the Japanese government will supposedly make a concession to their counterparts of EU on trade liberalization at … Continue reading →

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【News】 International tourists’ expenditure for eating and drinking in Japan exceeds her total export of agricultural, forestry and fishery products in 2016 (Jan. 19, 2017)

Posted on 2017-01-27 by The Japan Agricultural News

Inbound tourists increased their spending for eating and drinking in Japan to 757.4 billion yen in 2016, 18 percent up over the previous year, a research made by Japan Tourism Agency revealed. A considerable increase in international tourists visiting Japan as well as a Japanese cuisine boom are favorable factors for creating a huge demand for agricultural and food products in the domestic market. According to the Tourism Agency’s latest announcement on a consumption trend survey for foreigners visiting Japan in 2016, a total amount of their consumption hit a record high of 3.7476 trillion yen. International tourists averagely spent 156 thousand yen to visit Japan in 2016. Although the … Continue reading →

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【News】 Japan and EU trade negotiators study possibility of upgrading EPA talks to ministerial level in early February (Jan. 18, 2017)

Posted on 2017-01-25 by The Japan Agricultural News

Free trade negotiators of Japan and the European Union (EU) have been looking into a possibility of holding a ministerial meeting between Japan’ Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida and his counterpart Cecilia Malmstrom, EU’s Commissioner for Trade, in Tokyo early February to seek for a final agreement at the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the Japan Agricultural News found. EPA negotiation teams of the both sides have not yet reportedly bridged their gap in tariff cuttings on some agricultural and other products. Meanwhile, there is a possibility that compromises would be made by the teams that are aiming at giving priority to an early broad agreement on EPA. Their … Continue reading →

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