Japan to “Launch Offensives” at Hong Kong WTO Talks

Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo

Tokyo, 8 December: Japan will “launch offensives” at market- opening negotiations under the World Trade Organization next week in Hong Kong to play a leading role in such areas as trade of industrial goods and services as well as tightening antidumping rules, Japan’s vice trade minister said Thursday [8 December].

“Although Japan has areas it needs to protect, I expect the minister to take an aggressive approach at negotiations of WTO nonfarm, service and rules of antidumping,” Vice-Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hideji Sugiyama said in a press conference, referring to Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai.

Nikai said earlier in the day he will try to accelerate WTO negotiations while seeking Japan’s national interests. A crucial ministerial meeting of the 148-member multilateral trade body is scheduled to start Tuesday in Hong Kong for a six-day run.

Nikai, who left for Malaysia Thursday to attend a meeting Friday of economic ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Japan, also said in a news conference before his departure that he intends to speed up negotiations for sealing a free trade accord between Japan and ASEAN.

The FTA negotiations between Japan and the regional body, which were launched in April with the aim of concluding them in two years, have hit a snag due to differences over the way of moving forward the talks.

Japan has FTAs with Singapore and Mexico and has struck basic free trade accords with individual ASEAN members of the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. With Malaysia, Japan is set to sign an FTA next week, Japanese officials said.

ASEAN is unsatisfied with the situation in which bilateral FTA talks between Japan and some members proceed rather smoothly, while the negotiations between Japan and ASEAN as a whole are stalled, according to the officials.