Since 2012, Japan has been conducting ongoing negotiations on a Comprehensive Regional Economic Partnership Free Trade Agreement with several countries, including: Information on the U.S.-Japan sector agreements is available on the Department of Commerce`s Website for Law Enforcement and Compliance. Japan had also concluded Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with these 14 countries, as well as with ASEAN: the US-Japan Trade Agreement (ALEV) entered into force on January 1, 2020. In this agreement, Japan committed to providing substantial market access to the United States by phasing out most tariffs, making significant tariff reductions, or allowing a number of imports at a lower tariff. Following the implementation of the USJTA, nearly 90 percent of U.S. food and agricultural products imported into Japan are now duty-free or benefit from preferential tariff access. The full text of the agreement and fact sheets are available on the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) website. The United States and Japan have concluded a trade agreement on market access for certain agricultural and industrial products, with the intention of continuing further negotiations on an extended free trade agreement. On October 17, 2019, the United States and Japan concluded a market access agreement for certain agricultural and industrial products. Japanese lawmaker approved the agreement on December 5, 2019. President`s Proclamation 9974 was issued on December 26, 2019 and sets a date for the effective date of January 1, 2020.
On December 30, 2019, the Federal Register notice (FR 84 72187) was published to implement the agreement. The rules of origin of the EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements) can be found in the text of the individual agreements. This Agreement provides for limited use of safeguard measures allowing for temporary increases in customs duties when imports exceed a predetermined trigger threshold. Japan will have protective measures for cattle, pork, whey, oranges and racehorses. The following tables provide up-to-date information on the level of protection triggers and the applicable trading volume for the current and past Japanese fiscal year (JFY). Describes the trade agreements in which this country is involved. Provides resources for U.S. companies to obtain information on the use of these agreements. Annex II to the Agreement sets out the rules of origin used to determine whether a good is eligible for preferential tariff treatment or whether it has “originating goods” from the Agreement.
The product-specific rules (Annex II to the Agreement) specify the extent to which tariff classification must be used by which non-originating materials must be modified. General Note 36 is added to the HTSUS and contains the requirements of the agreement. Links to the text of the U.S.-Japan trade agreement and related documents can be found below. Products obtained or manufactured entirely in the United States are generally eligible for preferential tariff treatment under the USJTA. Products that use materials from other countries may also be eligible, depending on the type of product and the classification of the tariff code. For many of these products, the standard rule is a change in tariff classification at the chapter level or 2-digit (i.B. HS 10 grain to HS 11 flour) that occurs in the United States. Products with different rules are described in Annex 1 of the contract text.
At the time of importation, Japan Customs requires Japanese importers to submit a declaration confirming the origin of the product. In some cases, U.S. exporters may submit additional information directly to Japan Customs, but the original declaration must come from the importer. For more information, see the Japan Customs website and the USJTA FAS/Tokyo GAIN Rules of Origin Report. A list of japan`s other trade agreements and EPAs, as well as trade agreements under negotiation, can be found at this link from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In October 2019, the United States and Japan signed the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement and the U.S.-Japan Digital Trade Agreement, which entered into effect on January 1, 2020. The U.S.-Japan Confidence Agreement eliminates or lowers tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports worth about $7.2 billion, and the U.S.-Japan Digital Trade Agreement includes high-quality provisions that ensure data can be transferred across borders without restrictions. ensure the protection of consumer privacy and adherence to common principles to address cybersecurity challenges.
promote the effective use of encryption technologies and stimulate digital trade. USDA Japan has developed a series of product descriptions that give a brief overview of how the USJTA affects specific product groups. Please note that the information provided is not complete and further details can be found in the text of the contract itself. Notable agreements include the EPA for Japan and the European Union (EU), which entered into force in February 2019. A text of the agreement can be found here. In 2018, Japan and six other countries (Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam) signed and ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Four other countries (Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Peru) are signatories but have not yet ratified the CPTPP. On 23 October 2020, Japan and the United Kingdom signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
The two governments had previously reached an agreement in principle by videoconference on 11 September on this agreement, which is largely based on the Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and the European Union. The trade agreement between Japan and the United Kingdom has not yet been approved by the Japanese National Parliament and the British Parliament, which both governments are expected to receive by the end of the year for entry into force on 1 January 2021. A full text of the agreement is available from the Japanese Foreign Office (here) and a summary is available from the UK government (here). Japan is a full member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released the CSMS #41149692 news on December 31, 2019. Additional compliance guidelines will be made available as soon as possible. .
Annex 1 of the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement: Japan`s Tariffs and Tariff Provisions To qualify for preferential tariff treatment under the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement, the following requirements must be met: Customs treatment of agricultural products under the AEUJTA can be viewed on USDA agricultural tariff tracking. Select “Japan” from the FTA Partners drop-down menu. Products can be searched by tariff code or product name. Alternatively, exporters can review Japan`s current tariffs on U.S. products in Japan`s official tariff plan. Please note that Japan Customs makes the final decision on the classification of the Customs Code, the country of origin and the customs duties applicable to imported products. To qualify for preferential treatment, a good must be originating and meet all the requirements of the U.S.-Japan AGREEMENT. With regard to GSP (Generalized System of Preferences) rules of origin, non-preferential rules of origin and import procedures, we refer to the applicable provisions of Japanese laws and regulations. [available in Japanese only] For some products, preferential market access is made possible by the creation of QQCs that allow access to a number of imports from the United States at a preferential tariff rate, generally zero. Products containing CSQs include wheat, malt, processed cheese, whey, glucose and fructose, corn and potato starch, mixtures and pasta, and inulin. The following tables provide up-to-date information on QQC fill rates for current and past Japanese fiscal years (JFY).
The United States will provide for the elimination or reduction of tariffs on 241 tariff lines. Affected agricultural products include perennials and cut flowers, persimmons, green tea, chewing gum and soy sauce. The United States will also reduce or eliminate tariffs on certain industrial products from Japan, such as certain machine tools, fasteners, steam turbines, bicycles, bicycle parts, and musical instruments. .