Japan asks EU for leadership in starting FTA talks with Japan
Kyodo | 5 November 2012
Japan asks EU for leadership in starting FTA talks with Japan
VIENTIANE, Nov. 5, Kyodo — Japan asked the European Union on Monday to exert leadership in enabling the launch of free trade talks between Japan and the regional bloc, with top EU officials pledging to explain the need for such talks to member states.
During a meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda also sought greater understanding from European Council President Herman Van Rompuy of Japan’s resolve to deal with tense Japan-China relations in a calm manner, Japanese officials said.
The meeting, which also included European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, was held on the fringes of the two-day summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting that kicked off the same day.
During the roughly 30-minute talks, Noda stressed the importance for eurozone countries to implement agreed measures in a bold and prompt manner to resolve Europe’s debt crisis, noting Japan’s contribution to the efforts.
Both Van Rompuy and Barroso nodded, the officials said, adding that the leaders of Japan and the European Union also agreed to hold a regular bilateral meeting early next year.
At a separate meeting before Noda met with his EU counterparts, Noda asked Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to support the early start of talks between Japan and the European Union for a free trade agreement, and Tusk gave his country’s support for the move, according to the officials.
During the 30-minute talks, Noda and Tusk also discussed the possibility of bilateral cooperation in the energy field, including nuclear power generation.
The Polish prime minister invited his Japanese counterpart to his country. Noda replied that he will consider the offer, according to the officials.
Noda briefed both the EU and Polish leaders during Monday’s talks that the Senkaku Islands, a group of islands in the East China Sea that are administered by Japan but claimed by China, are an inherent part of Japanese territory.
In a press briefing after the meetings, however, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Shiba declined to disclose the details of Noda’s remarks, an apparent move to avoid escalating heightened tensions with China, which calls the islands Diaoyu.
Noda was quoted as telling his EU and Polish counterparts that Tokyo intends to respond to the dispute in a "calm" manner and act as a "responsible country" for the peace and prosperity in the region.
In the Japan-EU talks, Noda called for "maximum leadership" on the part of the 27-member bloc to acquire negotiating directives for a free trade agreement with Japan.
Van Rompuy and Barroso expressed readiness to urge member states to agree to the launch of FTA talks with Japan by reminding them of the need for such an accord, the officials said.
EU leaders have called on member countries to reach an agreement on launching negotiations on a free trade accord with Japan. But some of the countries have not made clear their stance on the envisioned talks, partly because some industries oppose the move.
