NEWS & EVENTS

On Friday, November 8, 2019, the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies held a roundtable discussion on the current U.S.-Japan trade relationship with Amy Jackson, the Japan Representative for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and a SAIS Japanese Studies alumna. With extensive experience in U.S.-Japan trade negotiations as the current Vice President of The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) and a former U.S. Trade Representative Director of Japanese Affairs, Jackson discussed how Trump’s approach to trade has been fundamentally different from that of past U.S. administrations. She argued that the current administration has thrown away regional trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in favor of leveraging unilateral tariffs as its main trade policy under the pretense of national security.

In particular, she stated that the U.S. withdrawal from TPP was a huge loss of opportunity for American companies and particularly the agricultural sector, along with decreasing fairer trade practices globally. The retraction of the U.S. from TPP has also led to Japan taking up the mantle and rising from a follower to a leader in promoting TPP. She also noted that Japan is wary and may be unwilling to move forward to Phase 2 of its trade negotiations with the U.S. after its recent “skinny trade deal”. Looking towards the future, Jackson gave several predictions for U.S. trade policy. One of these predictions was that the President would aim to make similar trade deals in the coming year with Japan and other countries like China in order to boost his electability and image for his 2020 campaign.