The U.S. and Japan recently held the second round of meetings of the U.S.-Japan Partnership on Trade, which aims to facilitate regular engagement on trade-related matters of importance to both countries.
According to a press release from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the two sides discussed specific initiatives and efforts in a range of areas, including the following.
- encouraging best practices with respect to internationally-recognized worker rights, including by increasing predictability, and engaging in further discussions on eradicating forced labor and other practices of concern in global supply chains
- responding to several (unspecified) third-country regulations that present concerns in light of a U.S.-Japan commitment to harnessing the opportunities of the digital economy in a way that supports the interests of users and providers
- potential new approaches in several areas that would advance new areas of trade-related collaboration
- shared concerns about the non-market and trade-distorting practices of third countries and concrete follow-up activities
- bilateral trade issues such as regulatory transparency, standards-related issues, and increasing Japan’s use of ethanol
In announcing the partnership last year USTR said its initial areas of focus would include global excess capacity in the steel and aluminum sectors, cooperation in regional and multilateral trade-related fora, labor and environment-related priorities, a supportive digital ecosystem for all, trade facilitation, and supply chain issues. USTR Katherine Tai added that the partnership would also support the “development of an economic framework for the Indo-Pacific and help create sustainable, resilient, inclusive, and competitive trade policies that lift up our people and economies.”
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