Japanese agriculture minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Indonesian counterpart Suswono on Monday confirmed the two countries' cooperation in establishing a proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP. 

The RCEP, a free trade agreement covering wide areas of the Asia-Pacific region, would help create a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific, or FTAAP, Hayashi told Suswono at their meeting here.

A total of 16 Asia-Pacific countries, including Japan and Indonesia, are set to hold the first round of RCEP talks in Brunei from Thursday.

Hayashi, meanwhile, underscored Japan's stance of seeking exceptions from blanket tariff elimination for some agricultural products, according to sources with access to the meeting.

Hayashi and Suswono also agreed that the two countries will set up a joint working group on increasing Japan's food exports to Indonesia.

May 7, 2013

Source: House of Japan

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