Asian FTA negotiations

Asian FTA negotiations

Japan is about to begin talks with ASEAN as a whole, including Vietnam and four other countries with which Japan has not yet had bilateral talks.

Japan and Indonesia have already agreed to begin trade negotiations separately. In the run-up to trade talks with those countries, Japan should not set a bad precedent by signing a poor agreement with Thailand.

If Japan, an advanced industrial country, intends to have its trading partners swallow a bitter pill, it should set an example by taking it first.

A meaningful free trade agreement should be sought to realize an "East Asia Community" that Japan aims at creating. -- The Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo