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