Japan Not Keen on EPA with Mercosur

August 22, 2018

Sao Paulo- Japan is unlikely to conclude an economic partnership agreement with South America's Mercosur trade bloc anytime soon, a special adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Tuesday.

"It is unclear whether Mercosur can ensure high-standard trade rules," the adviser on farm exports, Mitsuhiro Miyakoshi, told a press conference in Brazil.

"For a trade agreement, Japan seeks standards as high as the 11-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership deal and the EPA with the European Union," Miyakoshi said.

No major problem will arise for farm trade under such a pact with Mercosur if the state-controlled trading system is maintained for rice, wheat, dairy products and sugar, he said.

He stressed that "it is impossible that future EPAs will not include provisions on dispute settlement procedures." Jiji Press