Canada and Japan announce Agenda for Cooperation

Prime Minister Chrétien and Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto today released the Canada-Japan Agenda for Cooperation, which affirms the excellent state of relations between the two countries and charts new directions.

The Agenda notes the importance of Canada's declaration of 1997 as Canada's Year of Asia Pacific and outlines several new joint initiatives of the two governments, including cooperation on infrastructure projects in third countries, a joint study on Canada-Japan security cooperation, the creation of the Canada-Japan Forum and a plan to exchange personnel between the two countries' foreign affairs and international trade departments.

"This Agenda raises the already strong and significant Canada-Japan relationship to an even higher and more productive plane," Mr. Chrétien said. "It is fitting that, on the eve of Canada's Year of Asia Pacific, we are finding new ways to further our mutual interests and deepen our longstanding friendship."

The new initiatives in brief are as follows:

* Cooperation on third-country projects will build beneficial partnerships between Canadian and Japanese firms which will both contribute to global economic development and generate jobs and growth domestically.

* The study on security cooperation will explore ways in which Canada and Japan can work together to promote peace and security both within Asia Pacific and globally.

* The permanent Canada-Japan Forum will be led by prominent Japanese and Canadians and pursue further the recommendations for closer bilateral relations proposed by the initial Canada-Japan Forum 2000.

* The exchange of personnel will involve Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Ministry of Trade and Industry. It is intended to foster greater understanding and cooperation between the two countries.

The Agenda notes that Canada and Japan, as partners in the United Nations, the G-7, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and other international forums, continue to promote regional trade and investment liberalization, the multilateral rules-based trading system, international economic and technical co-operation and global security and peace.

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The Prime Minister of Canada and the Prime Minister of Japan met today to instill vision and direction in Canada-Japan relations. The two leaders affirmed Canada and Japan's common democratic values and their commitment to work together to promote global peace and prosperity. They welcomed the successful and productive cooperation between the two countries in the UN, the G-7 Summit, APEC and other international fora, and praised the excellent state of bilateral relations.

Building on this solid friendship, the two leaders considered the widening and deepening of relations between the two countries as increasingly important elements of both Canada's and Japan's foreign policies.

The two leaders underlined the importance of Canada's Year of Asia Pacific in 1997 in promoting greater awareness and understanding among Canadians of the importance to Canada of the region and of Canada's role in promoting its future stability and prosperity. Japan welcomed this initiative and will cooperate with Canada in strengthening the Asia-Pacific community.

The meeting today opened a new chapter in Canada-Japan relations. Accordingly, the two leaders reaffirmed that the Governments of Canada and Japan will promote bilateral cooperation, especially in the areas listed below.

1. Cooperation in Asia-Pacific

As partners in Asia-Pacific, Canada and Japan will work together to promote peace and stability in the region, and will therefore support the development of opportunities for dialogue on regional security, such as provided by the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

The two Governments have commissioned a joint study by eminent Canadian and Japanese scholars on Canada-Japan security cooperation, to report to the two Governments by the spring of 1997. The two Governments will review the report and initiate consultations on security matters.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a key forum in the Asia-Pacific region. Canada will assume the APEC Chair in 1997. Canada and Japan will continue to cooperate closely throughout 1997 in promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and expanding economic and technical cooperation, including, for example, the convening in Canada of a symposium on the interrelated issues of food, environment, energy, economic growth and population (FEEEP) in the APEC region.

2. Expanding Bilateral Ties

We note the importance of our respective reform efforts to improve the prospects for the two countries' economic growth and to improve opportunities for business. We are determined to make efforts to facilitate trade and investment through deregulatory measures to improve transparency, promote mutual recognition of conformity assessment and improve market access.

We will continue to work in partnership with the private sector, through such mechanisms as Canada's Action Plan for Japan, to expand bilateral trade, investment and tourism. We welcome the dynamic dialogue that exists between our two business communities, as demonstrated by the work of the Canada-Japan Business Committee (which will celebrate its 20th Conference in 1997 in Toronto) and the recent Keidanren Business Partnerships mission to Canada.

We are pleased to note the announcement by the Minister for International Trade of Canada and the Minister of International Trade and Industry of Japan of a decision to initiate collaboration on facilitating private-sector cooperation between Canadian and Japanese companies in third country markets, especially in Asia.

The two Governments will initiate an exchange of personnel between Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to foster greater understanding and cooperation. We also note that Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry intend to initiate such an exchange.

We will encourage the expansion of bilateral collaboration in research and development between our respective universities, institutes and agencies under the Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of Japan on Cooperation in Science and Technology. We will also continue to support private sector collaboration, including through the Manufacturing Technology Fellowships Program.

The Government of Japan has contributed 1.4 million Canadian dollars (a hundred million yen) to the Japan-Canada Fund to enhance cultural exchanges between the two countries. The two Governments will also work to encourage Japanese studies in Canada and Canadian studies in Japan. To this end, the Government of Japan commenced the Peace Friendship and Exchange Initiative with Canada this year.

To promote exchanges and mutual understanding between Canadian and Japanese youth, the two Governments underline the importance of further enhancing the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program and the Working Holiday Program.

The two Governments will encourage public awareness by increasing information on Canada-Japan relations through the Internet, via the Ni-Ka Online Homepage of Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and the Homepage of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

3. Political Cooperation on Peace, Security and the Environment

The two Governments will promote the ratification and early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the effective implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, as well as the initiation of negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament on a Cut-off Treaty.

The two Governments will pursue vigorously an effective, legally-binding international agreement for the global ban on anti-personnel mines, announced in the Ottawa Declaration in October, and will also cooperate to ensure a successful outcome to the conference Japan will host in March 1997 to reinforce international support for the work of the United Nations in land mine clearance, development of new technology for land mine detection and removal, and rehabilitation of land mine victims.

The two Governments share a firm commitment to reform the United Nations in a balanced manner as a whole, including in the fields of peace and security, finance and development, to better equip it to deal with global challenges. The two Governments will work to strengthen the effectiveness of the Security Council through expanded membership and improvement of its structure.

Canada and Japan intend to strengthen their cooperation in the area of peace-keeping operations (PKO), in particular through participation in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), and will work to assist the United Nations in improving its rapid-reaction capability for peacekeeping operations, as well as strengthening preventative diplomacy and peace-building. The urgency of a coordinated international response to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Great Lakes region of Africa demonstrates the importance of this task.

Canada and Japan share a commitment to protecting the global environment. We will undertake the second round of Canada-Japan environmental consultations within the next twelve months. Canada and Japan will pursue international cooperation on environmental issues throughout 1997, especially at the third session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be hosted by Japan. Canada and Japan will work to promote sustainable forestry through the pursuit of an international consensus on the conservation and sustainable development of forests, and the development of an international network of model forests using sustainable management practices.

Canada and Japan share a common commitment to sustainable utilization of living resources of the sea and cooperate in that regard under the terms of the 1978 Fisheries Agreement between Canada and Japan. The two Governments support the content of the United Nations Agreement on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks.

4. International Economic Cooperation

At the Lyon Summit, Canada and Japan joined with other G-7 members in endorsing a wide range of initiatives to promote economic growth and employment, strengthen economic and monetary cooperation, enhance trade and investment and implement a new global partnership for development. Canada expressed its interest in the Initiative for a Caring World, proposed by Japan at Lyon, and both sides confirmed their intention to cooperate together with other G-7 members in further exploring the Initiative.

In support of the multilateral trading system and its primacy over regional trade agreements, Canada and Japan will work together in promoting the success of the first WTO Ministerial Conference in Singapore, by ensuring full implementation of the Uruguay Round agreements and the built-in agenda and by addressing post-Uruguay Round new issues such as trade and investment, trade and competition policy and trade and environment. The two Governments will cooperate to promote further liberalization through the completion of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) and the implementation of expanded product coverage for a tariff elimination initiative on pharmaceutical products.

We also reaffirm our commitment to strengthening the WTO as the primary vehicle for the progressive liberalization of trade, and more importantly to demonstrate that the multilateral, rules-based framework, rather than unilateral approaches, best responds to the needs of an increasingly globalized economy.

We underline the importance of expanding the membership of the WTO to all economies willing to assume its obligations and to make meaningful market-access commitments. We look forward to the accession of several additional economies in the near future, including China.

We note the importance of supporting the full integration of developing countries into the multilateral trading system. In that regard, Canada and Japan fully support efforts to convene a joint meeting of trade and aid agencies, international financial institutions, the WTO and donor and recipient countries in early 1997 to develop a programme of trade-related technical assistance for least developed countries (LLDCs).

Canada and Japan will cooperate in implementing the new development strategy (Shaping the 21st Century) adopted in the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), and will continue to undertake joint development projects, including in Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Kenya and Southern Africa. The two Governments also intend to coordinate their efforts in support of development in Africa.

Canada and Japan recognize the significant role played by the multilateral financial institutions in the development of developing countries and will cooperate for the successful conclusion of the Asian Development Fund (ADF) VII negotiation.

The two Governments share an interest in reducing excessive military expenditures in developing countries, and will cooperate on this issue with other like-minded countries in the DAC, which will hold an international symposium on this subject in Ottawa in March 1997.

The OECD has an important role to play in stimulating new approaches to domestic and international economic and social problems and in facilitating the integration of developing countries into the world economy. We support Secretary-General Donald Johnston in fulfilling his mandate to reform the OECD to make it more relevant, efficient and effective.

5. Canada-Japan Forum

In 1991, the two Governments established the Canada-Japan Forum 2000 in order to formulate recommendations on strengthening our relations in all areas. Its report, and that of its Follow-up Committee, have provided the basis for a new, more permanent body.

Today, we are announcing the creation of a standing Canada-Japan Forum, led by prominent Canadians and Japanese representing various sectors, to maintain the dialogue and help develop a stronger and more effective partnership between our two countries.