Japan Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in japan, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Trade Agreements
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In October 2019, the United States and Japan signed the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement and the U.S.-Japan Digital Trade Agreement, which entered into force on January 1, 2020. The U.S.- Japan Trade agreement eliminates or reduces tariffs on approximately $7.2 billion in U.S. agricultural exports and the U.S.-Japan Digital Trade Agreement includes high-standard provisions that ensure data can be transferred across borders without restrictions, guarantee consumer privacy protections, promote adherence to common principles for addressing cyber security challenges, support effective use of encryption technologies, and boost digital trade. The government of Japan is submitted a bill to revise the U.S-Japan Trade Agreement and it was approved in the Diet in the fall of 2022, to reflect the changes the U.S. and Japan agreed in March 2022 on beef safeguard. See the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement text and the Fact Sheets. 

A list of Japan’s other concluded trade agreements and EPAs, as well as those being negotiated, can be found at this link from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Notable agreements include Japan and the European Union (EU) EPA, which has been in force in February 2019. See here for a text of the agreement. Since 2018, Japan and eight other countries (Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam) signed and ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Two other countries (Brunei and Chile) are signatories but have not yet ratified the CPTPP. 

Table: Japan has 16 bilateral economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with the countries listed below.  Japan has two additional EPAs – one with the European Union and another with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 

       Australia 

Peru 

Brunei 

Philippines 

Chile 

Singapore 

India 

Switzerland 

Indonesia 

Thailand 

Malaysia 

United Kingdom 

Mexico 

United States 

Mongolia 

Vietnam 

On November 15, 2020, Japan, along with Australia, China, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, and all 10 ASEAN countries signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade agreement.  The agreement went into effect on January 1, 2022. 

For information on sector-specific agreements between the United States and Japan visit the Department of Commerce Office of Trade Agreements Negotiation and Compliance (TANC) website. 

Japan is a full member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

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