2016 Volume 18 Pages 62-67
This paper assesses whether Japan's quest for food export disciplines in trade negotiations was successful, and concludes that it ended in failure. The export disciplines in Japan's economic partnership agreements (EPAs) are not necessarily stronger than those in regional trade agreements (RTAs) by third countries. The Food Supply chapter in Japan's EPA with Australia is far from 'WTO-plus' in comparison with its own WTO proposals and similar provisions in RTAs by European countries. Japan's real goals of demanding tighter disciplines were not to secure stable imports but to counter exporting countries and sell politicians unpopular trade agreements for successful ratification.
