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1400 GENEVA TIME ( 1300  GMT) 31 JANUARY 2007  
 
PRESS/TPRB/276 
31 January 2007 
 
(07-0400) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: JAPAN 
Economic recovery but cont inued reform is needed 
Japan’s economic situation has improved since the previous Trade Policy Review in 2005 and the 
country seems to be getting out of deflation. Pr ogress has been made in improving the competitive 
environment and in promoting structural reforms in  the energy and services sectors, according to 
the WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of Japan.  
The report notes that Japan’s inward Foreign Dire ct Investment is still low compared with other 
large economies, and measures are needed to increase its attractiveness to foreign investors. The report also notes the high level of government assistance in agriculture and the low labour 
productivity in this sector. 
 Sustained recovery would appear to hinge on continued structural reforms including in the 
financial, corporate and public sectors, and in strengthening of competition policy and adopting 
further trade liberalization particularly in agriculture, according to the report.  
The report, along with a policy statement by the government of Japan, will be the basis for the 
eighth Trade Policy Review (TPR) of Japan by th e Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO on 31 
January and 2 February 2007. 
 
The following documents are available in MS Wo rd format on the WTO web-site. They can be 
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/ tratop_e/tpr_e/tp276.htm  
 
• Secretariat report 
> Contents and summary observations  
> Economic environment  
> Trade and investment regimes  > Trade policies and practices by measure  
> Trade policies by sector  
> Appendix tables  
• Report by Japan 
• Chairperson’s concluding remarks  
• Minutes of the meeting (available appr oximately six weeks after the meeting). 
 PRESS/TPRB/276 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 
 Note 
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO agreements, in which member countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant 
developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each 
review, two documents are prepared: a policy stat ement by the government of the member under 
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in  the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These 
documents and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are published shortly afterwards.  
Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at 
https://secure.vtx.ch/shop/boutiques/wto_index_boutique.html  or follow this path :  
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews   
The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan Press , 4611-F Assembly 
Drive, Lanham, MD 20706-4391, United States 
Next reviews: 
Argentina : 12 and 14 February 2007 
European Communities : 26 and 28 February 2007 
Australia: 5 and 7 March 2007 
 
For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/tpr_e/tpr_ e.htm#reviews 
or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews 
  
 
END