ID :
210636
Sat, 10/01/2011 - 17:08
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/210636
The shortlink copeid
Japan, Australia aim for early resumption of free trade talks
TOKYO, Oct. 1 Kyodo - Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba and Australian Trade Minister Craig Emerson agreed Saturday to strive to resume bilateral talks on a free trade pact at an early date, Japanese officials said.
The agreement came after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda expressed willingness to work toward resuming the talks during a recent telephone conversation with his Australian counterpart Julia Gillard.
Japan and Australia have been engaged in FTA negotiations since 2007. The next round of talks originally scheduled for April has been put off after the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.
During their 30-minute meeting in Tokyo, Gemba and Emerson repeated their respective nations' positions on a row over Japan's whaling in Antarctic waters, but they reaffirmed to be careful to prevent the issue from marring friendly bilateral relations, the officials said.
Separately, Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano met with the Australian trade chief and shared willingness to restart the bilateral FTA negotiations, a ministry official said.
Emerson is in Japan to attend a signing ceremony for a new multilateral accord to combat the proliferation of counterfeiting and piracy earlier in the day.
The agreement came after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda expressed willingness to work toward resuming the talks during a recent telephone conversation with his Australian counterpart Julia Gillard.
Japan and Australia have been engaged in FTA negotiations since 2007. The next round of talks originally scheduled for April has been put off after the catastrophic March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.
During their 30-minute meeting in Tokyo, Gemba and Emerson repeated their respective nations' positions on a row over Japan's whaling in Antarctic waters, but they reaffirmed to be careful to prevent the issue from marring friendly bilateral relations, the officials said.
Separately, Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano met with the Australian trade chief and shared willingness to restart the bilateral FTA negotiations, a ministry official said.
Emerson is in Japan to attend a signing ceremony for a new multilateral accord to combat the proliferation of counterfeiting and piracy earlier in the day.
