日豪ＥＰＡ合意 ＴＰＰ交渉も市場開放決断を

The Yomiuri Shimbun 7:07 pm, April 08, 2014
Japan-Australia EPA accord must lead to accelerating TPP talks
日豪ＥＰＡ合意　ＴＰＰ交渉も市場開放決断を

Realizing liberalization of high-level trade and investment with Australia—a major power in the agricultural and energy sectors—is of great significance.
　農業とエネルギー分野の大国である豪州との間で、高いレベルの貿易や投資の自由化を実現する意義は大きい。

During their summit meeting Monday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott reached a broad accord on the conclusion of a bilateral economic partnership agreement.
　安倍首相とアボット豪首相の首脳会談で、７年に及ぶ日豪経済連携協定（ＥＰＡ）交渉がようやく大筋合意した。

The accord, which came after seven years of negotiations, calls for Japan to lower tariffs on Australian beef imports from the current 38.5 percent to around 20 percent. Australia, on the other hand, will abolish 5 percent tariffs on Japanese car imports.
　日本が豪州産牛肉に課している輸入関税を現行３８・５％から２０％程度に引き下げる。豪州は日本車に対する関税５％を撤廃する。これが最大の柱である。

Specifically, tariffs on frozen Australian beef for processing will be reduced to the 19 percent range over a period of 18 years, and chilled beef, which competes with domestic products, will be brought down to the 23 percent level over 15 years.
　加工用に使う冷凍牛肉を１８年かけて１９％台に下げる一方、国産と競合しやすい冷蔵牛肉は１５年で２３％台にするという。

The agreement came as U.S. beef has been catching up with Australian beef, increasing its share of Japan’s beef imports to about 30 percent compared to Australia’s 50 percent.
　合意に至った背景には、日本の輸入牛肉のうち、約５割のシェアを持つ豪州産を約３割の米国産が追い上げている事情がある。

In a bid to gain an advantage in the competition with the United States, Australia has made the concession of agreeing to tariff cuts that take effect over a long period without calling for Japan to abolish tariffs. Canberra apparently put priority on working out an agreement.
　豪州は米国との競争を有利にしようと、関税撤廃は日本に求めず、長期間での引き下げも容認した。合意を優先したのだろう。

The accord will make it possible for Japanese consumers to purchase Australian beef at lower prices. Australia is the second-biggest importer of Japanese automobiles, following the United States, and its elimination of tariffs on Japanese car imports will serve as a tailwind for Japanese carmakers.
　日本の消費者はより安価な豪州産牛肉を購入できるようになる。豪州は米国に次ぐ日本車の輸出先であり、車の関税撤廃は日本メーカーに追い風と言える。

A chance to break impasse

Attention is now focused on how the bilateral accord will affect multilateral negotiations on a Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, which have had rough goings. The Japan-Australia accord should be used to accelerate talks with the United States, which has taken a hard-line stance, thereby breaking the stalemate in TPP talks.
　焦点は、今回の合意が、難航している環太平洋経済連携協定（ＴＰＰ）交渉にどんな影響を与えるかである。強硬姿勢を続ける米国との交渉を加速し、膠着こうちゃく状態を打破するきっかけにすべきだ。

Ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Japan late this month, Tokyo and Washington have resumed TPP talks. Akira Amari, state minister in charge of the TPP talks, will enter negotiations with U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman in Tokyo on Wednesday.
　今月下旬のオバマ大統領来日に向けて、日米協議が再開した。甘利ＴＰＰ相とフロマン米通商代表が９日から東京で協議する。

The Liberal Democratic Party has been insisting on treating five trade categories—including rice and beef/pork—as exceptions to tariff elimination. But the United States has not made any concessions, instead emphasizing tariff abolition.
　自民党がコメ、牛肉・豚肉など重要５項目を関税撤廃の例外扱いとするよう求めている問題では、米国は撤廃を主張して強硬だ。

The TPP is aimed at promoting free trade, thereby giving an impetus to growth in Asia. Without relaxing after the agreement with Australia, Tokyo must seek to find a realistic compromise with Washington for further market opening.
　ＴＰＰは自由貿易推進でアジアの成長に弾みを付ける狙いがある。日本は日豪合意に安堵あんどせず、一層の市場開放へ、米国と現実的な妥協点を探らねばならない。

Abe and Abbott also agreed to launch bilateral negotiations on joint development of defense equipment. To begin with, the two countries will undertake joint research on the fluid dynamics of vessels.
　日豪両首脳は、防衛装備品の共同開発について交渉を開始することで合意した。まずは、船舶の流体力学分野に関して共同研究を進めることになった。

Deepening cooperation in the security field by the two countries, both allies of the United States, can be lauded as contributing to stability in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.
　ともに米国を同盟国とする両国が安全保障分野で協力を深めることは、アジア太平洋地域全体の安定にも寄与すると評価できる。

Taking into consideration the new three principles on transfer of defense equipment, the Japan-Australia accord on joint research must lead to improving defense technology and curbing development costs.
　新しい「防衛装備移転３原則」を踏まえ、防衛技術の向上や開発費の抑制にもつなげたい。

Abe aslo invited Abbott to a special meeting of a Japanese version of the National Security Council. Nurturing the relationship of trust between top leaders will lead to reinforcing Japan-Australia security cooperation and the tripartite security ties involving the United States.
　安倍首相は今回、国家安全保障会議（日本版ＮＳＣ）の特別会合にアボット首相を招いた。首脳同士の信頼関係を醸成することは、日豪や日米豪の安保協力をより強固なものにするだろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 8, 2014)