Australia-Japan Free Trade Agreement Negotiations

Overview

Negotiations on the Australia-Japan Free Trade Agreement commenced in April 2007 following the conclusion of a joint government study on the feasibility of a bilateral FTA. The study (pdf) concluded that a comprehensive and WTO-consistent FTA between Australia and Japan would bring significant benefits to both countries.

Consultations

The Australian Government has completed an initial program of public consultations in states and territories.

These initial consultations were part of what will be an on-going program of consultations which will be undertaken in all states and territories, as well as some regional areas, during the negotiations with Japan. The consultations are an opportunity for businesses to convey their experiences trading with and investing in Japan and their interests in an Australia-Japan FTA and to hear updates on the FTA negotiations.

Please visit this site regularly for dates and details of forthcoming consultations.

Doing Business in Japan

For more information on doing business in Japan and about specific export opportunities, go to the Austradewebsite. As well as country-specific information, the Austrade website also has a database that can be searched by industry.

The Australian FTA negotiating team is extremely interested in obtaining input from companies on the barriers to doing business in Japan. We need to hear from business about any difficulties you may face entering and operating in the Japanese market. The information you provide will shape the requests Australia puts to Japan over the coming rounds of negotiations. The aim is to improve the opportunities available now and in the future for Australian companies in this important market.

We have accordingly developed a questionnaire on problems in doing business in Japan. While this has a services focus, we would strongly encourage companies in other sectors to respond as well. Not all of the questions may apply to your business, but where they are relevant, we would appreciate as much detail in your responses as possible.