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JPEPA

The governments of Japan and the Philippines reached a basic political agreement on the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) on 29 November 2004 at the ASEAN Summit in Laos. The agreement was then signed in Helsinki on 9 September 2006 and came into force on 11 December 2008. It was the Philippines’ first free trade agreement and Japan’s fourth.

JPEPA was and remains hugely controversial. Filipinos — and on some issues, Japanese groups — mobilised to stop the deal for many reasons, including the following:

 the small job market openings for Filipino healthcare workers are very limited (the workers must learn Japanese, undergo equivalency exams, stay for only a restricted time etc) and overlook the real potential for abuse of Filipino workers in Japan;
 concerns that Japan will gain access to and be able to overfish Philippine waters, ruining the livelihoods of small fisherfolk;
 any supposed benefits for increased pineapple and banana exports to Japan would in fact go to corporations like Dole and Del Monte, and their local business partners, who own and run the plantations in the Philippines — not to small or landless Filipino farmers;
 its unconstitutionality, since JPEPA allows Japanese corporations to own land, operate schools and practice certain professions in the Philippines which the Philippine Constitution does not allow;
 the huge imbalances in the deal, e.g. Japan excluded almost 200 tariff lines from the agreement, the Philippines only six; and
 the fact that JPEPA gives explicit legal ground for Japan to dump toxic wastes in the Philippines.

last update: May 2012
Photo: Karasantos / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0


Arroyo trade-pact pitch with Japan nixed
Independent think-tank group IBON Foundation scoffed at President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s call for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to conclude a regional free-trade agreement with Japan despite strong protests against the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
Philippines-Japan trade deal opposed
A multi-sectoral group has renewed its opposition to a bilateral trade agreement between the Philippines and Japan by calling on the Philippine Senate not to ratify the deal when it opens session on Monday.
Faeldon wants to sue officials responsible for JPEPA
A Philippine Marine captain on trial for the failed 2003 Oakwood mutiny wants to file graft charges against officials involved in the forging of the controversial Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
Norkis stops assembling Yamaha motorbikes
The Norkis Trading Co. has filed a notice to cease its production and assembly operations of Yamaha motorcycles in the Philippines due to the zero-tariff policies of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement. Hundreds of highly-paid workers will lose their jobs.
Philippines needs safety nets in trade pact with Japan
A senior senator in the Philippines on Wednesday said the Philippine government must impose safety nets to safeguard the jobs of thousands of Filipino workers particularly in the garments, electric appliances, and automobile assembly sectors, who stand to lose their jobs if the trade deal with Japan goes through.
Controversial Philippine-Japan free trade deal not to be approved in 13th Congress
The controversial Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, the free trade deal signed between Manila and Tokyo, will have to wait for the next Congress for ratification, as the document is not included in agenda in the last three plenary sessions of the 13th Congress of the Philippines this week.
Controversial Philippine-Japan Free Trade Deal Not To Be Approved In 13th Congress
The controversial Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, the free trade deal signed between Manila and Tokyo, will have to wait for the next Congress for ratification, as the document is not included in agenda in the last three plenary sessions of the 13th Congress of the Philippines this week.
JPEPA: Fair trade?
New RP-Japan trade pact may just spell false hopes for Filipino health care workers.
Manila militants urge incoming senators to reject Philippine-Japan trade pact
Manila-based militant group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamalakay ng Pilipinas on Tuesday urged incoming senators to reject the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, which they described as the "second Japanese occupation of the Philippines."
JPEPA to cost RP P4B in foregone revenues
The Philippines’ Finance department expects its most recent trade agreement with Japan to cost P4 billion a year in lost duties from Japanese imports.

    Links


  • Magkaisa Junk JPEPA
    Multisectoral effort to defeat an unfair and environmentally unjust bilateral trade agreement with Japan