ISDS Case Map
Japan
Japan and Australia kicked off five days of talks in Canberra Monday on sealing a free-trade agreement as persistent differences remained on agricultural products.
Achieving full free trade among its members by 2020 remains the stated goal of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) group, but few expect it to materialise due to the non-binding nature of the agreement.
Japan has agreed to accept nurses and caregivers from Vietnam under a bilateral economic partnership agreement on condition that they pass a Japanese language test, officials said.
The Japanese government has decided to consider negotiating for a free trade agreement with China as prospects for a trilateral accord with China and South Korea have become grimmer due to Seoul's opposition for fear of a rise in imports from Japan, trade sources said Wednesday.
The Japanese government will try to make sure the United States understands its stance toward the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations, according to Katsuyuki Ishida, senior vice minister at the Cabinet Office.
The so-called scoping exercise, aimed at identifying matters of mutual concern and interest related to a free-trade agreement, will conclude "probably in weeks," Arianespace Chairman Jean-Yves Le Gall said at a news conference in Tokyo following a two-day meeting of the EU-Japan Business Round Table.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Italian counterpart Mario Monti on Wednesday agreed to aim for the early launch of negotiations on a free trade agreement between Japan and the European Union.
Canadian Auto Workers president Ken Lewenza is raising serious objections to the new free trade discussions with Japan, charging that a free trade deal with Japan is unnecessary and would hurt the Canadian economy.
Japan, South Korea and China have wrapped up a three-way investment treaty seen as an important stepping stone toward the far more ambitious goal of forging a free-trade zone among the Asian neighbors despite a history of tension and distrust that have hindered closer ties.
Japan should adopt a two-pronged trade strategy — participate in the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement and further deepen economic ties with the rest of Asia — to achieve economic growth, according to the top economist at the Asian Development Bank Institute.
