Japan 's Free Trade Strategy In ASEAN

After the new century, to ensure the overall interests of Japan，Japanconstantly adjusts their trade policies, and began to focus on bilateral trade system,represents by FTA. In the continuous process of development, Japan establishes amore clear FTA strategy, and actively promoted within ASEAN and other regions. Topromote FTA into prime position of economic diplomacy, and to make it the powerfulsupport for the launching of Japan’s the economic diplomacy. Based on theperspective of economic diplomacy, this thesis analyses and studies the promotion ofJapan’s FTA strategy in the ASEAN region.This thesis analyzes the reason why Japan promoted FTA strategy, its currentstatus, characteristics, as well as barriers and achievement in detail. First, in order todevelop the Southeast Asian market, to “circumvent " China risk, and to boost itsdomestic economy as much as possible, to seize the initiative in the East Asianintegration process, Japan targets ASEAN as the primary goal of the strategy.Secondly, by the end of2013, Japan had signed with seven ASEAN countries andASEAN the FTA agreement. Japan’s rapid promotion of the FTA strategy shows severalcharacteristics: wide cooperation, the strategic use of ODA, the thick newmercantilist thinking, intending to balance Chinas influence in the ASEAN region.Meanwhile, the Japan’s FTA promotion in ASEAN also faces with many obstacles. Onthe one hand, ASEAN countries want to get the Japanese investment whilecollaboration, showing distrust of Japan; on the other hand, Japan’s sense of self-protectionist is strong in the process of advancing FTA, and coupled with the region’suneven development, Japans FTA strategy in the process of advancing in ASEAN isalso facing difficulties. Finally, although the Japanese FTA strategy faces manyobstacles in the process of advancing in ASEAN, as a powerful weapon for Japan toconduct economic diplomacy, has achieved good results. The trade and investmentbetween Japan and ASEAN is still rising after experiencing the economic crisis andgreat east Japan earthquake in2011; For Japan, signing the FTA with ASEAN countrieshas provided a guarantee for its energy and resource security; accompanying the warming of economic cooperation, also deepens the political relations betweenJapan and ASEAN countries and which promotes the flexibility of Japan’s diplomacyin East Asian area.