The Positions taken by the Government of Japan towards the Fifth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference at Cancún

August 2003

1. General points

Ministers should make momentous decisions in major areas of negotiations at the Fifth Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference at Cancun, held on 10th to 14th September 2003, for the successful conclusion of the Doha Round by the agreed deadline of January 1, 2005. They are also encouraged to take initiatives in a comprehensive manner with a view to maintaining and strengthening the multilateral trading system by not only trade liberalization but also the review, reinforcement and expansion of the WTO rules and the inclusion of new issues such as investment in the negotiations. Due consideration is yet required for the interests and concerns of developing countries in this process.

2. Specific areas Ministers should focus on at Cancun

(1) Agriculture

The Government of Japan will endeavor to realize the followings for the sake of coexistence of various form of agriculture and consideration of its multifunctionality: "flexibility among commodities", "continuity from the implementation of the Uruguay Round Agreements" and "balance between importing and exporting countries in their rights and obligations". It also aims at securing a balance among market access, domestic support and export discipline.

(2) Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA)

The Government of Japan will make efforts to realize a tariff reduction formula that could rectify the general tariff levels among different Members as well as sectoral tariff elimination and harmonization in the areas Japan has made proposals on, and then to agree with a framework under which Japan could secure a limited degree of flexibility for sensitive products.

(3) Services

The Government of Japan encourages Members to submit and improve their offers in services. It also works at establishing appropriate benchmarks which would enable a substantial progress to conclusion in market access negotiations in the latter half of the current round.

(4) The Singapore Issues

The Government of Japan aspires to agree with modalities to launch negotiations in four issues, that is, investment, competition, transparency of government procurement and trade facilitation, so that the WTO could also play roles required in the new era.

(5) Measures for developing countries

The Government of Japan encourages developing countries to take active role in the WTO negotiations and takes measures for their integration into multilateral trading system through trade-related technical assistance to them. It also aims to find multilateral solutions on an early stage on the improvement of access to pharmaceutical products through the recovery and engendering of mutual trust among the Member states.

(6) TRIPS

The Government of Japan will make efforts to realize a multilateral system of notification and registration of geographical indications (GI) for wines and spirits that could facilitate the protection of GI with small burden. With regard to the extension of additional protection of GI to products other than wines and spirits, it will further study pros and cons of the extension.

(7) Rules (including anti-dumping)

Ministers should confirm their intention to accelerate negotiations on rules after Cancun with more emphasis on seeking solutions.

(8) Environment

The Government of Japan will make efforts to expedite and accelerate discussions on trade and environment in the new round, taking account of global environmental issues and sustainable use of natural resources.