Japan should actively explore the possibility of concluding free-trade agreements with some developing countries while forging closer economic relations with the United States and other industrialized countries through other types of new bilateral arrangements, according to a government report.
According to the still-classified report, which was obtained Friday by The Japan Times, an FTA is not the sole method of forging closer economic ties bilaterally or regionally, and Japan should consider an "appropriate mix of policy options" in the medium- and long-terms in implementing its external trade and economic policy.
The report was compiled by a study group comprising senior officials from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the Foreign Ministry. Although the two ministries insist that the study group is private in nature, it is clear that the report reflects a consensus view among their officials.