Full text of the joint statement on Japan-U.S. trade agreement
26 September, 2019
The following is the full text of a joint statement signed Wednesday by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump in New York on a bilateral trade agreement:
We, President Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, confirm and welcome final agreement on the United States-Japan Trade Agreement and the United States-Japan Digital Trade Agreement. We share the desire that these agreements will be signed at the earliest possible date and enter into force in the very near future, following the completion of our respective domestic procedures.
The United States-Japan Trade Agreement will eliminate or reduce tariffs on certain agricultural and industrial products to enhance bilateral trade in a robust, stable, and mutually beneficial manner between our nations, which together account for approximately 30 percent of global gross domestic product. The United States-Japan Digital Trade Agreement establishes high-standard rules in this area, demonstrating the continued leading role that both nations play in global rule-making on digital trade.
With the conclusion of these early achievements, the United States and Japan intend to conclude consultations within four months after the date of entry into force of the United States-Japan Trade Agreement and enter into negotiations thereafter in the areas of customs duties and other restrictions on trade, barriers to trade in services and investment, and other issues in order to promote mutually beneficial, fair, and reciprocal trade.
The United States and Japan will faithfully implement the United States-Japan Trade Agreement and the United States-Japan Digital Trade Agreement based on mutual trust. While faithfully implementing these agreements, both nations will refrain from taking measures against the spirit of these agreements and this Joint Statement. In addition, both nations will make efforts for an early solution to other tariff-related issues.
We welcome these achievements as tangible evidence of the strength of the relationship between our two nations.