JAPAN: WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy meets Trade Minister Yukio Edano to discuss Doha round and trade protectionism

Record ID: 466142

  • Title: JAPAN: WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy meets Trade Minister Yukio Edano to discuss Doha round and trade protectionism
  • Date: 16th March 2012
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (MARCH 15, 2012) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF JAPAN'S ECONOMY, TRADE AND INDUSTRY MINISTRY (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO) PASCAL LAMY BEING WELCOMED BY JAPANESE TRADE MINISTER YUKIO EDANO LAMY AND EDANO SHAKING HANDS DELEGATES SEATED AT TABLE EDANO SPEAKING DELEGATES SEATED AT TABLE LAMY TALKING JOURNALIST TAKING NOTES LAMY TALKING DELEGATES SEATED AT TABLE
  • Embargoed: 31st March 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan, Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Business
  • Reuters ID: LVADBV7XBJFSQKMC85FPFRKOFFUA
  • Story Text: Director-General of World Trade Organization (WTO) Pascal Lamy visited Japan on Thursday (March 15) and met with Japanese Trade Minister Yukio Edano to discuss the "Doha round" free trade deal and trade protectionism.
    During the talk at Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry in Tokyo, Lamy renewed his push over the WTO's free trade deal on Japan, ministry officials said.
    After the 2008 financial crash, world leaders have called for a final push on Doha round, WTO's complex trade negotiations which were launched in the Qatari capital Doha in 2001, concerned that countries would be tempted to close off their economies to protect key sectors buffeted by the global turmoil.
    Last year Japan expressed interest in joining the negotiation of the U.S.-led regional free trade pact, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), with eight other Pacific countries - Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
    Japan told the United States last month it would put all items, including politically sensitive food products such as rice, on the table when it fully joins the negotiations, Japanese media reported.
    In January, British Prime Minister David Cameron called for Europe to bypass the Doha talks on a world free trade deal in favour of seeking separate agreements with the United States, Africa and other willing parties.
    Lamy is also scheduled to meet Japan's Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba and Agriculture Minister Michihiko Kano during his visit. He will hold a news conference on Friday (March 16) at Tokyo's press club where he's expected to talk about the progress made by his organization's effort.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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