An Analysis Of The Domestic Decision-making Mechanism Of The Japan-EU EPA Negotiation During The Abe Administration

In 2017,when the Japan-Europe Economic Partnership Agreement(EPA)negotiations experienced several twists and turns and progress was quite slow,Japan chose to take the initiative to speed up negotiations with the EU,which resolved the differences between the two sides on the issue of agricultural market opening.In the end,the leaders of both sides signed the Japan-Europe EPA in July 2018.In the course of this negotiation,this article raises the core question based on Japan’s negotiating attitude:Why did the Japanese government make concessions on the issue of agricultural products in 2017 and proactively promote the signing of the agreement? Through the research on Japan’s free trade agreement negotiations,it can be found that the two variables of interest groups’ support for trade negotiations and the degree of power concentration in formulating foreign trade policies have played a key role in the process of Japan’s formulation of foreign trade policies.Therefore,this article attempts to construct the mechanism by which these two variables influence Japan’s foreign trade policy formulation.In the mechanism of traditional Japanese foreign trade policy,the core interests of the two interest groups,the Keidanren and the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives(JA),are in conflict,and they use their respective lobbying methods to influence the policy formulation of the Japanese government,and the JA’s emphasis on agricultural protection hinders This period of free trade agreement negotiations.The decisionmaking model of “higher party and lower government” played a leading role in Japanese politics,and the decentralization of power made it difficult to form a unified negotiating position.After Abe’s second cabinet came to power,the agricultural reforms greatly weakened the political influence of the JA,and the Keidanren still maintained its lobbying role and actively promoted free trade agreement negotiations.The strengthening of official residence-led politics has also increased the concentration of Japan’s power to formulate foreign trade policies,allowing Japan to play its own initiative in advancing Japan-EU EPA negotiations,making concessions on agricultural issues,and finally reaching a Japan-EU EPA signing.