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Australia-Japan Free Trade Agreement Negotiations

Overview

Negotiations on the Australia-Japan Free Trade Agreement commenced in April 2007 following the conclusion of a joint government study on the feasibility of a bilateral FTA. The study (pdf) concluded that a comprehensive and WTO-consistent FTA between Australia and Japan would bring significant benefits to both countries.

Updates

Consultations

The Australian Government has completed an initial program of public consultations in states and territories.

These initial consultations were part of what will be an on-going program of consultations which will be undertaken in all states and territories, as well as some regional areas, during the negotiations with Japan. The consultations are an opportunity for businesses to convey their experiences trading with and investing in Japan and their interests in an Australia-Japan FTA and to hear updates on the FTA negotiations.

Please visit this site regularly for dates and details of forthcoming consultations.

Submissions

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) continues to welcome submissions from individuals and groups on issues relevant to the negotiation of an FTA with Japan.

Submissions need not be lengthy, and may build on or refer to submissions made during the joint government study on a bilateral FTA.  Authors of submissions should advise whether they authorise their name and/or the text of their submission to be posted on this website.

Submissions may be lodged electronically to JapanFTA@dfat.gov.au or by post to the following address:

Japan FTA Task Force
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
RG Casey Building
John McEwen Crescent
Barton   ACT   0221

Additional Information

Doing Business in Japan

For more information on doing business in Japan and about specific export opportunities, go to the Austrade website. As well as country-specific information, the Austrade website also has a database that can be searched by industry.

The Australian FTA negotiating team is extremely interested in obtaining input from companies on the barriers to doing business in Japan. We need to hear from business about any difficulties you may face entering and operating in the Japanese market. The information you provide will shape the requests Australia puts to Japan over the coming rounds of negotiations. The aim is to improve the opportunities available now and in the future for Australian companies in this important market.

We have accordingly developed a questionnaire on problems in doing business in Japan. While this has a services focus, we would strongly encourage companies in other sectors to respond as well. Not all of the questions may apply to your business, but where they are relevant, we would appreciate as much detail in your responses as possible. 

Please send your responses electronically to JapanFTA@dfat.gov.au (please mention the word “questionnaire” in the subject title). 

Contact Us

If you have a specific inquiry, please contact DFAT's Japan FTA Task Force:

Email: JapanFTA@dfat.gov.au
Fax: (+61 2) 6261 2187

Japan FTA Task Force
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
R. G. Casey Building
John McEwen Crescent
BARTON   ACT   0221

For media enquiries, please call DFAT Media Liaison Section (+61 2) 6261 1555.