Japan Press Weekly

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2011 October 26 - November 1 [ECONOMY]

USTR thinks Japanese rules obstructive

The U.S. Trade Representative Office (USTR) is attacking Japanese medical regulations as obstacles for for-profit hospitals, including foreign providers, to enter into the medical service market in Japan.

The Foreign Ministry has been claiming that participating countries in the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade pact negotiations are neither talking about the introduction of uninsured medical treatment nor entry of profit-making enterprises into medical care.

Judging from the 2011 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers published by the USTR, however, the United States will be highly likely to pressure Japan to open its markets in various sectors.

The USTR report requests the opening of the markets on the grounds that Japan imposes too many restrictions on about 50 items, including beef, rice, postal services, insurance, medical services, and blood products.

Regarding Japan’s access barriers to U.S. beef and beef products as anti-BSE measures, the report places priority on the reopening of Japan’s beef market.

The report criticizes Japan’s rice import and distribution system as highly regulated and non-transparent, and calls for an increase in Japanese consumption of U.S. rice.

The report requests equal conditions of competition in postal delivery and postal insurance services between Japan Post and international service providers.

Regarding U.S. blood products, one of the main factors for the spread of HIV infections in the past, the report urges Japan to increase patient access to blood plasma therapies by lifting limits upon plasma protein products imports.

The report also suggests that Japan remove impediments to transnational corporate mergers and acquisitions.