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Abstract

This article examines the current stage of WTO negotiations on agriculture and discusses the power structure in major players in the negotiations. The difficulty to reach agreement in WTO leads many counties to FTA for further liberalization in trade. But agricultural sector tends to be a stumbling block there also. To discuss agricultural issues in FTA three countries of China, Japan and Korea are selected for an example of a multiple country FTA in Asia. Examined are how agricultural should be treated and possibility of substantially including agricultural sector in China-Japan-Korea FTA. Despite the difficulties, agricultural sector should be included in the list of tariff reductions for the C-J-K FTA. It is a good opportunity for reforming agricultural sector to be viable in international competition toward the total globalization. It is no doubt that the direction of world agricultural trade is toward freer trade. FTA is a good step for that and provides preparation for a global integration of agricultural trade. It may be desirable to establish an international forum, particularly among Asian countries, to discuss important agricultural issues in the region. This forum should consider not only agricultural tariff reductions, but also sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) measures that might be addressed in working toward a broader FTA in Asia. In organizing such a forum that shall be called "Agricultural Partnership in Asia" for wider cooperation of agricultural policy and agricultural resource management in Asia, China, Japan and Korea should take a strong leadership and make substantial steps toward the domestic agricultural reforms as well. It may lead the region to establishing an Asian type of Common Agricultural Policy in the future.

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