Second meetings of the commission, committee on the improvement of the business environment and committee on trade in goods of the agreement between japan and the republic of chile for a strategic economic partnership

1. The Second Meetings of the Commission, Committee on the Improvement of the Business Environment, and Committee on Trade in Goods, which are established under the Agreement between Japan and theRepublic of Chile for a Strategic Economic Partnership, were convened in Santiago, Chile on April 15, 2009.

2. The meeting of the Commission was co-chaired by Mr. Satoru Satoh,Director-General of the Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jun Niimi, Deputy Director-General of the Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry andMr. Kazuo Haraguchi, Deputy Director-General for Internationals Affairs Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on the Japanese side, and Mr. Andres Rebolledo, Director-General ofthe Bilateral Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Paulina Nazal, Head of the Market Access Department and Mrs. Constanza Alegría, Head of the Asia & Oceania Department on theChilean side. Both sides highly evaluated the steady increase of the utilization of the EPA and the amount of trade and investment between the two countries one and a half years after the entry into forceof the Agreement.

3. The meeting of the Committee on the Improvement of the Business Environment was attended by not only government officials, but representatives of the private sector,including director generals of the Japan-Chile Business Cooperation Committee of the both countries. They had a frank and active exchange of views and opinions on a broad range of issues for thepurpose of the improvement of business environment in both countries, including the holding of a seminar for promoting investment, electronic certificate of origin and procedures for obtaining driver’slicense.

4. In the meeting of the Committee on Trade in Goods, both sides addressed a variety of issues including conversion of HS Code of both countries, storage period of goods in...