There has been a burst of interest in regional trading arrangements in the Asia Pacific region. Business pressures, frustration with the multilateral process, renewed interests in regional autonomy and domino effects have contributed to the interest in a preferential route. But the use of these...

The Pacific Trade and Development (PAFTAD) forum owes much of its existence to the enthusiasm and vision of three Japanese – Kiyoshi Kojima, Saburo Okita and Takeo Miki – an academic, a bureaucrat and a politician. This paper outlines the evolution of PAFTAD and shows how Japan’s thinking...

The international air transport regulatory system is subject to a number of forces for change. APEC has an opportunity to influence the response to these forces and to direct the subsequent reform process to achieve a more efficient system. This paper argues this case and notes some options for...

An intergovernmental regional economic institution was a common goal of Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, his Office, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Japanese Ministry of International Trade Industry (MITI) in the late 1980s. Bob Hawke publicly announced...

Since emerging as a leading industrial economy, Japan has played an important role in promoting Asia Pacific economic cooperation. Japan has been instrumental in every major initiative in economic cooperation in the region over the past three decades, including the Asia Pacific Economic...

The financial crises of 1997 and 1998 have had a profound effect on how East Asia sees the role of the IMF and its strategic interests relative to those of the United States in international finance. The crises have spurred demand for a regional financial architecture in East Asia – ranging...

China applied to rejoin the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) over a decade ago and negotiations for China’s entry into GATT’s successor, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), are still proceeding.1 China has participated in regional economic cooperation processes for about the...

Since 1999, there has been a sharp rise of interest in new subregional trading arrangements (SRTAs) involving APEC economies. Many, if not most, of the emerging new economic partnerships are expected to be based on a preferential free trade area (FTA). These arrangements are likely to divert...

Japan is a leading distant water fishing nation, aid donor and trading partner in the Pacific island region. The question that this paper addresses is how do, or how might, Pacific island countries maximise their interests in dealing with Japan. The paper explores various regional strategies...