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WTO Negotiations and Other Agricultural Trade Issues in Japan by Masayoshi Honma

WTO Negotiations and Other Agricultural Trade Issues in Japan by Masayoshi Honma. New Development of Agricultural Policy since UR. Tariffication of rice in 1999 Basic Law on Food, Agriculture, and Rural Area in 1999 New WTO negotiations on agriculture since 2000

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WTO Negotiations and Other Agricultural Trade Issues in Japan by Masayoshi Honma

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  1. WTO Negotiations and Other Agricultural Trade Issuesin JapanbyMasayoshi Honma

  2. New Development of Agricultural Policy since UR • Tariffication of rice in 1999 • Basic Law on Food, Agriculture, and Rural Area in 1999 • New WTO negotiations on agriculture since 2000 • EPA (FTA) with Singapore in 2002 • Establishing Rice Policy Reform Plan in 2002 • Negotiations for FTA with Mexico and Korea in 2003

  3. Article 20 of AoA Recognizing that the long-term objective substantial progressive reduction in support and protection…is an ongoing process, Members agree that negotiations for continuing the process…, taking into account: (c) non-trade concerns,…

  4. General Elements of Negotiations • Elimination of tariff peaks in dirty tariffication • Reduction or elimination of export subsidies • Reexamination of domestic support criteria • S&D treatment for developing countries From “Bringing Agriculture into the GATT” to “Bringing Agriculture into Competition”

  5. Some Issues for Japanese Agriculture • Multi-functionality of agriculture • Food security and safety • Tariff peaks

  6. Multi-functionality • Multi-functionality of agriculture, such as land conservation, natural environment, rural community, is now recognized. • Need to evaluate the marginal effect of trade on multi-functionality • But its relationship with agricultural production is not straightforward and make quantitative assessment difficult. • Direct subsidies are encouraged to achieve it.

  7. Food Security and Safety • Food security cannot be pursued through self-sufficiency from domestic sources but through relying also on imports. • Limiting trade is not the correct measure to achieve it at a minimum social cost. • Stockpiling is a short time measure. • Safety is consumers’ legitimate concern, while too strict standard tend to impede food trade: compliance to SPS and need for capacity building for developing exporters.

  8. Tariff Peaks • Examples of tariff peaks Japan: rice (490%), butter (330%), konnyaku-potato (990%) Korea: Korean carrot (754%), cassava (887%) • Capping the maximum tariff at 100%?

  9. New Dimensions of Negotiations • Importance of developing countries • Shift of major players to three cores: (a) US, EU (b) Developing countries (c) Japan, Korea, other food importers. • Weakening power of Cairns Group • Emerging African countries: Cotton initiative • Shift to FTA for trade liberalization

  10. Bilateral Trade Issues (A) Japan vs. China: Safe-guard issues against three agricultural imports in 2001 Retaliation by China would have cost 400 billion yen on automobile industry (B) Japan vs. Mexico: Pork and orange juice on FTA (C) Japan vs. Korea: FTA negotiations How to treat agricultural sector?

  11. Characteristics of Agriculture in Japan and Korea

  12. Problems in Japan • Regulations on entry in agriculture from non-agricultural sector • Part-time farming dominant in rice production • Expectation on farm land to convert to other use Problems in Korea • Full-time but aged farmers • Heavy dependence on rice production • Less job opportunity in rural area

  13. Agricultural Trade between Japan and Korea Japan → Korea: cigarettes, vegetable seeds, prepared feed, candies, etc. Korea → Japan: chestnuts, tomatoes, cucumber, matsutake, bell peppers, etc. Japan’s comparative advantage in: high quality of beef and rice (?) Korea’s comparative advantage in: horticultural products, milk products, pork, cut flowers (?)

  14. Effects of Japan-Korea FTA by Kawasaki(2003)

  15. Fishery Issues in Japan • Quantitative restrictions of imports of: herring, cod, yellowtail, mackerel, sardine, horse mackerel, and saury to protect domestic inshore fishing • Japan is only the country in the world to impose IQ on fishery products. • It is not only a trade issue but also a matter of the management of common natural resources

  16. <Resistance against JK-FTA> In Japan: agriculture > fishery (?) In Korea: agriculture < fishery (?) <Searching Possible Solution> • Policy shift to decoupled direct payment • Promoting intra-industry trade • Cooperation for common fishery resource management • Establishing “common agricultural policy”

  17. THANKYOU!

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