INTERVIEW: Abe Adviser Sees Japan-U.S. Bilateral Trade Deal as Possible

June 21, 2018

Tokyo- Japan would consider a bilateral trade agreement with the United States if such a deal represented a win-win situation, Koichi Hamada, special adviser to the cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said in a recent interview with Jiji Press.

"It would not be bad for Japan to conclude a bilateral accord that is advantageous to both countries," Hamada said in reply to a question about "free, fair and reciprocal" bilateral trade talks that Tokyo and Washington will start in July.

However, he added that because Japan has made tremendous efforts toward the Trans-Pacific Partnership multilateral free trade agreement, it would be natural for Tokyo to adopt a strategy aimed at having the United States realize that it has lost a lot.

Earlier this month, Japan's parliament adopted legislation to ratify the revised TPP agreement among 11 countries, excluding the United States, which withdrew from the multilateral framework last year in line with the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Hamada also said Japan can combine bilateral and multilateral agreements as long as trade is promoted and Japanese people are better off.

Hamada criticized the protectionist moves taken by the Trump administration.

"It's true that the United States has been making unreasonable demands in terms of basic trade rules," he said.

Although the Trump administration has voiced frustration over its trade deficit with Japan, Japanese investment in the United States is welcomed by local communities, Hamada said.

Japanese businesses in the United States are contributing to U.S. jobs, he added. Jiji Press