ISDS Case Map
Japan
There is more than meets the eye in the Thai-Japan free trade agreement. It may spawn benefits for more car models.
Commerce Minister Somkid Jatusripitak - under pressure from local businesses - yesterday assured them that the government would not sign a free-trade pact with Japan unless it is satisfied with terms concerning rules of origin for farm goods.
Who will benefit the most from the Thailand-Japan Free Trade Area (FTA) agreement which has been approved in principle by the two countries?
The impact of a tentative free-trade agreement with Japan on the automobile industry's import tariff structure may prompt the US-based giant Ford Motor Co. to reconsider planned investments in Thailand.
Japan has reached a general accord for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with Thailand, a key trade and diplomatic partner in Asia. Expectations for a substantial and beneficial agreement were high, but the deal has ended up a deep disappointment because Japan took the line of least resistance.
Bilateral free-trade agreements typically revolve around discussions of quotas and tariffs and the principle of market access for traders. But an even more crucial component is rules of origin. In the end, an agreement without clear, practical and fair rules is nothing but a can of food with no opener _ you know the food is in there, you just can't eat it.
The long-lasting negotiation for the Thai-Japanese free trade area (FTA) covering more than 7,000 product items has finally been wrapped up with an agreement to be signed in next April and effective in September 2006.
As Japan moves to sign more bilateral Free Trade Agreements, agriculture remains a sticking point with other rice producing nations such as Australia, India and China.
Despite a few sticky issues, the leader of the Thai negotiating team reckons the Thai-Japanese Free Trade Agreement could be ready to be signed by the two leaders next April.
Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa will visit Thailand possibly on July 31 in a bid to strike a basic deal on a bilateral free-trade agreement in time for the end-of-July deadline set by the two countries.
