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Regarding plurilateral negotiations in relation to the WTO, Japan has actively participated in plurilateral negotiations such as the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) and the Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA). Although their negotiations have been under suspension since December 2016, Japan hopes for its resumption at the earliest opportunity, seeking to achieve the potential benefits from further liberalization of environmental goods and services. These negotiations will achieve significant progress towards multilateral trade liberalization.

In 2007, for strategic economic dialogue at the ministerial level, Japan and China decided to establish the Japan-China High-Level Economic Dialogue. (…) At the Japan-China Summit meeting in June 2019 (...) the two countries would enhance mutually beneficial working-level cooperation in areas that have potential, such as energy conservation and environment (...)

8. During the review period, changes to Japan's import licensing regime related to the removal of import restrictions on: (i) whales and their preparations, due to Japan's withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission; (...). Import quotas continue to be applied to various marine products, with the aim of conserving exhaustible natural resources and enforcing government measures to restrict quantities of the like domestic products; quota fill rates in 2017 ranged from 2.7% to 98.4%.

14. (...) Japan, a WTO Government Procurement Agreement signatory, promotes Green procurement and the participation of SMEs in the market (...).

18. During the review period, the fisheries production, fishing fleet, number of fishermen and fish consumption all declined. (...) Programmes to support fisheries totalled JPY 68.7 billion in FY2017. Various measures against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing were taken. In December 2018, Japan announced its withdrawal from the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, and its intent to resume commercial whaling from July 2019. This withdrawal became effective on 30 June 2019.

19. The mining and quarrying sector continued to contribute a small share to GDP and employment (0.1% in 2017). Mineral resource exploitation is undertaken under concession agreements. Japan continues to import nearly 92% of its energy supplies and, as such, remains vulnerable to global commodity price movements. A 2018 Strategic Energy Plan is aimed, inter alia, at increasing the share of locally produced renewable energy (including nuclear) in the total energy mix, from 12% in 2017 to 24% in 2030, restoring nuclear capacity, meeting national objectives for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, developing electric and hydrogen vehicles, and promoting energetically autonomous housing, and raising energy efficiency. (...)

26. Network environmental services, such as distribution of water, sewage and waste disposal, remain open to the private sector, including foreign operators and investors, via various PPP formulas. However, no foreign operators are present in these segments. National treatment applies across the board to all environmental services.

1.12. The 2019 tax reform proposals were, inter alia, aimed at levelling demand fluctuations that could occur upon the consumption tax rate hike (see below) (...) Other areas where measures were passed included: (...) and creation of Forest Environment Tax (provisional) and Forest Environment Transfer Tax (provisional); (...) establishment of local taxation systems for the sustainable development of cities and rural areas, etc.); (...)

2.2. The overall economic policy of Japan continues to be guided by the evolving Abenomics programme, which has two key goals: Achieving Sustainable Growth, and Realizing Society 5.0. (...) The goal of Realizing Society 5.0 is to enhance human comfort and sustainability, and resolve social challenges, such as the declining birth rate, an ageing population, and environmental and energy issues, through the development and use of new innovations, including the Internet of Things, big data, artificial intelligence, robotics, and the sharing economy.

2.3. As part of the implantation strategy for the Abenomics programme, the 2016 Japan Revitalization Strategy is being pursued. (...) Initiatives being implemented are: (...) promotion of technology in the fields of health care, the environment and energy; (...)