bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

Japan


EU- Japan EPA presented to the European Council, ratification begins
On 18 April 2018 the European Commission (the “Commission“) presented the finalised text of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (“EPA“) to the European Council and thereby took the first step in the EPA’s ratification process at the EU level.
US eager to form trade deal with Japan ’at some point’: USTR
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Tuesday expressed eagerness to strike a free trade agreement with Japan "at some point."
India must focus on manufacturing turnaround at RCEP talks in Singapore
The Singapore meeting is significant, for several participants in RCEP are keen to wrap up the negotiations quickly, especially since the negotiations have gone well beyond the original deadline of end-2015.
Japan says trade talks with US under new framework won’t start until June
Japan’s Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday that bilateral talks on trade under a new framework led by him and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer won’t begin until mid-June at the earliest.
Japan’s multi-layered, multilateral strategy
Tokyo has some work to do to convince the region its strategy is not designed to contain China.
Trump pushes Abe for ’free, fair and reciprocal’ trade
Japan seeks US return to TPP but president unlikely to bend on bilateral deal.
EU pushes to hasten start of Japan trade deal
The European Commission put forward a proposed free-trade agreement with Japan for fast-track approval, hoping to avoid a repeat of the public protests that nearly derailed a trade pact with Canada.
Economic ties with China still thorny / Intellectual property, steel remain problematic
The Japan-China high-level economic dialogue on Monday — the first such meeting in about eight years — marked a first step toward resetting a bilateral relationship that has been under strain amid such issues as perceptions of history and deepening economic ties.
Japan PM Abe meeting Trump on trade, North Korea and TPP
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is meeting Trump in Florida now. Facing domestic political turmoil, Abe is seeking to achieve something out of the summit. The first and foremost is the 232 steel and aluminum tariff of the US.
Quiet on the set! The EU is negotiating trade deals...
Following calls for openness and public participation, the European Commission now advertises its trade negotiations as transparent and inclusive. But crucial information about EU trade deals are still kept from citizens. Even member state governments regularly complain about being left in the dark. At the same time, corporations continue to call the shots on EU trade talks.
Japan and China pledge to accelerate free trade talks
The governments of Japan and China stressed the importance of free trade and pledged to accelerate negotiations of bilateral pacts at their high-level economic dialogue in Tokyo on Monday, the first such meeting in eight years.
US tightens pressure on Japan for bilateral trade deal
The US is making a tougher push for Japan to begin talks on a bilateral free trade agreement, exploring demands on foreign exchange policy and exports, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prepares to visit the country this week.
Japan-EU trade agreement ready for July signing
Japan and the European Union are slated to affix the final signatures on a wide-ranging free trade pact in mid-July in Brussels, according to sources on both sides familiar with the talks.
Japan angles for space in Brazil with Mercosur deal
Japan may soon manage something that the European Union has not yet done in South America, as negotiations to become an economic partner with the Mercosur trading block push ahead.
Tokyo willing to host TPP negotiators’ meeting in June or July
Japan is willing to host a chief negotiators’ meeting of the newly signed 11-member Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact in June or July, a minister in charge of the pact said.
Ghana: Government moves to deepen bilateral trade with Japan
The Finance Ministry of Ghana is leading a business delegation to Japan, expecting to boost bilateral trade and economic relations with Japan and to conclude the Ghana Japan Bilateral Investment Treaty.
Could India be the Trump administration’s first FTA?
USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney has been to India twice, each time highlighting the opportunities to improve the trading relationship between the two countries.
To counter China’s BRI, India joins US, Japan to boost connectivity in Indo-Pacific
India has joined hands with Japan and United States to build infrastructure for promoting connectivity in Indo-Pacific region, ostensibly to counter the Belt and Road initiative of China.
Japan aims revamped TPP at reducing reliance on US: former high-level diplomat
Donald Trump’s erratic posture on trade is forcing Japanese policymakers to rethink their reliance on the economic and political alliance with the United States, according to a former high-level diplomat from the Office of the US Trade Representative.
Japan may be forced into bilateral trade deal with US: ex-IMF exec
Japan will have little choice but to enter into a bilateral trade deal with the United States similar to one President Donald Trump clinched with South Korea, a former top Japanese currency diplomat said.