Asean and Japan should take a step back from the thorniest issues under discussion in order to move forward toward a fruitful free trade area (FTA) agreement, according to a prominent researcher from the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).
Japan signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with Mexico on Friday, the first such pact to cover the politically sensitive agricultural sector, officials said.
Mexico signed a free trade agreement Friday with Japan, reconfirming its world record in free trade accords -- which have failed, however, to bear the promised fruits.
After months of drawn-out negotiations, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Friday signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Mexican President Vicente Fox.
In the face of the rapidly growing Chinese economy and a rising number of free trade agreements, Japan is scrambling to reinforce its flagging leadership status in Asia by accelerating FTA negotiations with regional trading partners.
President Vicente Fox of Mexico and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan will sign a free trade agreement Friday that Mexico hopes will attract more investment from Japanese manufacturers and spur exports across the Pacific.
Mexico's tequila industry is expecting a sudden surge in shipments to Japan when the tariff of 25.2 yen per liter is completely removed under a Mexico-Japan free-trade pact that takes effect April 1.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said he has asked the Japanese government to help develop a Thai-Japan free trade area (FTA) agreement with Thailand agreeing to Japan's plan to set rice and beef as sensitive products categories.
Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi arrived for his first visit to Brazil Tuesday to make what authorities from both countries hope will be a lasting impression.