The Contemporary Japan Group at the Institute of Social Science (ISS, a.k.a. Shaken), University of Tokyo, welcomes you to a lecture by Junji Nakagawa, Professor of International Economic Law at the Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo:

What will happen when Japan joins the TPP? TPP as a Means of Regulatory Reform

Thursday, May 24 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Akamon Sogo Kenkyūtō Rm. 549, Institute of Social Science (Shaken), Hongo Campus, University of Tokyo:
http://web.iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp/cjg/contact/

Abstract:

Should Japan join the proposed TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement)? Among the wide range of subjects covered by TPP, the most heated debates have focused on liberalization of agricultural trade.
The impact on Japan’s regulatory reform, in contrast, has attracted almost no attention. In fact, TPP will exert a profound influence on regulatory systems in all member countries, not least Japan. In light of the impasse of the WTO as a forum for regulatory reform, TPP and other FTAs/EPAs will be at the forefront of regulatory reform in a host of areas, including trade facilitation, E-commerce, services regulation, competition law and policy, investment regulation, intellectual property, environmental regulation and labor law.
Moreover, arrangements for regulatory coherence in TPP will open the possibility of drastically improving how the Japanese government enacts and reviews its regulations. After analyzing the likely impact of TPP on regulatory systems, I will argue that Japan should join quickly so as to take the lead in promoting regulatory reform in the Asia-Pacific and ultimately the world.

Biography:

Junji Nakagawa is Professor of International Economic Law at the Institute of Social Science (ISS), University of Tokyo. He is a member of an informal group of experts examining the effects of TPP on Japan established in 2011 at the National Policy Unit (NPU), Prime Minister’s Office. He is also a member of a study group on WTO dispute settlement cases at the Trade Policy Bureau, METI. He is a member of the Society of International Economic Law (SIEL) Executive Council and is a chairman of the Asian International Economic Law Network (AIELN) Steering Committee.

Born in Hiroshima in 1955, he earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in law from the University of Tokyo. Before joining the ISS in 1995, he was Associate Professor of Law at Tokyo Institute of Technology (1990-1995). He has also taught at University of Denver, El Colegio de México, University of Georgia, City University of Hong Kong, Tufts University and Shantou University, China.

Major publications relevant to the presentation:

International Harmonization of Economic Regulation (Oxford University Press, 2011).

Multilateralism and Regionalism in Global Economic
Governance:
Finance, Trade and Investment (Routledge, 2011).

“Japan’s FTA (EPA) and BIT Strategy in the Light of Competitive Dynamics,” in Ross P. Buckley, Richard Weixing Hu and Douglas W. Arner eds., East Asian Economic Integration: Law, Trade and Finance (Edward Elgar, 2011), pp. 83-103.

“Competitive Regionalism through Bilateral and Regional Rule-Making:
Standard Setting and Locking-in,” in Mireya Solís, Barbara Stallings and Saori Katada eds., Competitive
Regionalism: FTA Diffusion in the Pacific Rim (Palgrave/MacMillan, 2009), pp.74-93.

CJG:
The ISS Contemporary Japan Group provides English-speaking residents of the Tokyo area with an opportunity to hear cutting-edge research in social science and related policy issues, as well as a venue for researchers and professionals in or visiting Tokyo to present and receive knowledgeable feedback on their latest research projects.
Admission is free and advance registration is not required. Everyone is welcome.

For more information, please visit our website:
http://web.iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp/cjg/
or contact
Gregory W. NOBLE (noble[at]iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp) ISHIDA Hiroshi (ishida[at]iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp)