Japan is awake to the potential of the EPA
AUTHOR
Andrew Howitt
Editor-in-chief
Eurobiz Japan
The European Business Council in Japan (EBC), as the trade policy wing of 17 European national chambers of commerce, is the voice of European business and industry in Japan. It was the first business organisation to call for an economic agreement between the EU and Japan, back in 2006.
Eurobiz Japan, the EBC’s official magazine, is the bullhorn for the organisation, highlighting advocacy issues in more than two dozen industry sectors and reporting on topics of relevance — including extensive coverage of the EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) — to both European and Japanese business leaders. In the very first issue of the magazine, published in January 2010, then-Chairman of the EBC Tommy Kullberg declared his goal of seeing a closer economic relationship between the EU and Japan.
“What we need is an economic integration agreement to let people, products and services move freely over our borders,” he said. “Just think about the dynamic developments we could see in Japan.”
Since negotiations on the EPA began in 2013, Japan has emerged as a leading proponent of global trade. At the EU Delegation on 1 February, the day the EPA came into effect, Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Toshimitsu Motegi affirmed that Japan has embraced this new stance in his speech to ambassadors of EU member states and the media. He also emphasised that the agreement was about far more than trade.
“Japan and the EU are global partners, sharing fundamental values, such as democracy, the rule of law and basic human rights,” he said, adding that they had a responsibility to promote “free and fair common rules — that are suitable for the 21st century — around the world.”
Japan is truly waking up to the idea that the EPA is not exclusively for businesses and will bring benefits far beyond the bottom line. One little-discussed, but important example concerns chapter 16 on trade and sustainable development, which sets high standards for labour, safety, the environment and consumer protection. An article in this section requires committees on both sides to engage with civil society organisations.
At the European Economic and Social Committee’s high-level conference, held in Tokyo in mid- November, representatives of several Japanese organisations spoke about the benefits of giving civil society a stronger voice in Japan. With an official platform from which they can be heard, Japan’s trade unions could help to improve the nation’s labour standards. Currently, Japan has yet to ratify two of the eight labour conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) — on forced labour and discrimination.
“Japan and the EU are global partners sharing fundamental values, such as democracy, the rule of law and basic human rights ... [We have a responsibility to promote] free and fair common rules — that are suitable for the 21st century — around the world”
“We are seeking not only economic growth, but sustainable, inclusive economic growth,” said Chihiro Kawashima, executive director at the Japanese Trade Union Confederation’s Department of Economic and Social Policy. “In the context of ... joint dialogue with civil society, we want to benefit from this monitoring mechanism to make sure that the ILO’s core standards — irrespective of whether they have been officially ratified or not — are fully implemented here in Japan.”
The EBC is confident that the EPA, together with the Strategic Partnership Agreement, can bring closer cooperation in areas such as innovation, people exchange and security policy, as well as joint investments and projects in third countries.
“We are firm believers that all aspects of EU–Japan relations will be positively affected by these agreements,” says Michael Mroczek, chairman of the EBC. “We, as the EBC, will stay actively involved in the monitoring process as the EPA is implemented, and we are learning to be flexible as we fit into this new role.”
Published 2019