日本のGATT仮加入とカナダ

国際政治研究の先端1

抄録

Japanese application for the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) membership in 1952 was obstructed by two major factors: first, U. S. domestic policies, especially with regard to the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act (RTAA), and second, opposition from other GATT contracting parties. The RTAA, which was the legal basis for US trade negotiations, faced strong opposition from the US legislature and could not be renewed to reduce tariffs in 1953. As a result, major trade negotiations were delayed for at least a year. Since the US was the main supporter for Japanese accession to the GATT, such delay would possibly lead to a significant postponement of Japan's formal accession to the GATT. This resulted in the establishment of Japan's “provisional” accession.
In contrast to other studies which focus on US support for Japan's accession to the GATT and conversely opposition from other countries, this paper illustrates the gradual changes of other countries' attitudes toward Japan. This paper examines in particular the relationship between Japan and Canada. Until 1952, Canada evinced negative attitudes toward Japanese accession and refused to include Japan in the Most Favored Nation Treatment. Nevertheless, as negotiations between Japan and Canada continued, Canada began to favor Japan's accession in 1953. Thus, the Canada case illustrates how Japan won approval from other countries. This paper's main emphasis is on the change in Canada's policy and the significance of Canada's support for Japan's provisional accession to the GATT.
There were three major factors that made Canada an important actor in international trade negotiations: the size of its economy in the world at that time; its political power (particularly in relation to the Commonwealth Countries); and its close relationship with the US. Thus, Canada played a significant role in Japan's accession to the GATT negotiations.
Furthermore, Canada, which was the second largest trade country among the Commonwealth Countries, did not cooperate with the UK. These factors exerted a strong influence on Japan's accession in multilateral trade negotiations. At the same time, Canada managed to take advantages of its own position in both multilateral and bilateral negotiations. However, the bilateral conditions that Canada presented to Japan differed from other countries' conditions insofar as they were based on free trade perspective. The change in Canada's attitude illustrates a close relationship between bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations among international relations in that period.