[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 88 (Tuesday, May 7, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26682-26684]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10724]
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Request for Comments on Negotiating Objectives With Respect to
Japan's Participation in the Proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade
Agreement
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
ACTION: Request for comments and notice of a public hearing.
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SUMMARY: The United States intends to commence negotiations with Japan
as part of the ongoing negotiations of a Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP) trade agreement. Including Japan in the negotiations furthers the
objective of achieving a high-standard, broad-based Asia-Pacific
regional agreement. In order to develop U.S. negotiating positions, the
Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is seeking
comments from the public on all issues related to Japan's participation
in the TPP negotiations. USTR also seeks comments on negotiations to
address certain non-tariff measures of Japan that will be conducted
bilaterally in parallel to the TPP negotiations and addressed by the
conclusion of the TPP negotiations.
DATES: Written comments are due by 11:59 p.m., June 9, 2013. Persons
wishing to testify orally at the hearing must provide written
notification of their intention, as well as a summary of their
testimony, by 11:59 p.m., June 9, 2013. The hearing will be held on
July 2 beginning at 9:30 a.m., in the Main Hearing Room of the United
States International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC
20436.
ADDRESSES: Comments from the public should be submitted electronically
at www.regulations.gov. If you are unable to provide submissions at
www.regulations.gov, please contact Yvonne Jamison, Trade Policy Staff
Committee (TPSC), at (202) 395-3475, to arrange for an alternative
method of transmission.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For procedural questions concerning
written comments, please contact Yvonne Jamison at the above number.
All other questions regarding this notice should be directed to Jordan
Heiber, Director for Japan Affairs, at (202) 395-5070.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background
In November 2011, Japan formally expressed its intention to seek
consultations with the TPP countries regarding Japan's possible
participation in the TPP negotiations. On December 7,
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2011, USTR published a notice in the Federal Register (76 FR 76478),
seeking public comments on Japan's possible participation in the TPP
negotiations.
On April 24, 2013, following Congressional consultations and after
having reached consensus on Japan's participation with the other TPP
negotiating partners, (Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile,
Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam), the U.S.
Trade Representative notified Congress that the President intends to
commence negotiations with Japan in the context of the ongoing
negotiations of the TPP. The objective of this negotiation is to
achieve a high-standard, 21st century agreement with a membership and
coverage that provides economically significant market access
opportunities for America's workers, manufacturers, service suppliers,
farmers, ranchers, and small businesses. The addition of Japan to the
group of TPP negotiating partners will contribute meaningfully to the
achievement of these goals.
USTR is observing the relevant procedures of the Bipartisan Trade
Promotion Authority Act of 2002 (19 U.S.C. 3804) with respect to
notifying and consulting with Congress regarding the TPP negotiations.
These procedures include providing Congress with 90 days advance
written notice of the President's intent to enter into negotiations and
consultation with appropriate Congressional interests regarding the
negotiations.
In addition, under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C.
2151, 2153), in the case of an agreement such as the proposed TPP trade
agreement, the President must (i) Afford interested persons an
opportunity to present their views regarding any matter relevant to the
proposed agreement, (ii) designate an agency or inter-agency committee
to hold a public hearing regarding the proposed agreement, and (iii)
seek the advice of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC)
regarding the probable economic effect on U.S. industries and consumers
of the removal of tariffs and non-tariff barriers on imports pursuant
to the proposed agreement.
USTR intends to hold a public hearing on specific issues pertaining
to Japan's participation in the TPP negotiations and with respect to
the bilateral negotiations to address certain non-tariff measures of
Japan on July 2, 2013. In addition, USTR has requested that the ITC
provide advice to USTR on the probable economic effects of including
Japan in a TPP trade agreement.
2. Public Comments
To assist USTR as it develops its negotiating objectives, the Chair
of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) invites interested persons
to submit written comments and/or oral testimony at a public hearing on
matters relevant to Japan's participation in the TPP negotiations and
with respect to the bilateral negotiations to address certain non-
tariff measures (for details on specific non-tariff measures to be
discussed in the bilateral parallel negotiations, please refer to the
``Motor Vehicles Terms of Reference,'' which can be found at http://go.usa.gov/T5gQ, and the ``Non-Tariff Measures: U.S. Consultations with
Japan'' fact sheet, which can be found at http://go.usa.gov/T5gB).
Members of the public who submitted comments in response to the earlier
request (76 FR 76478) need not make an additional submission unless the
comments are different. Comments and testimony may address the
reduction or elimination of tariffs or non-tariff barriers on any
articles provided for in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United
States (HTSUS) that are products of Japan, any concession that should
be sought by the United States, or any other matter relevant to the
inclusion of Japan in the proposed TPP agreement or the parallel
bilateral negotiations on non-tariff measures. The TPSC Chair invites
comments on all of these matters and, in particular, seeks comments
regarding:
(a) General and product-specific negotiating objectives for Japan
in the context of the TPP negotiations;
(b) economic costs and benefits to U.S. producers and consumers of
removal of tariffs and removal or reduction in non-tariff barriers on
articles traded with Japan;
(c) treatment of specific goods (described by HTSUS numbers) under
the proposed TPP agreement, including comments on--
(1) product-specific import or export interests or barriers,
(2) experience with particular measures that should be addressed in
the negotiations, and
(3) approach to tariff negotiations, including recommended staging
and ways to address export priorities and import sensitivities related
to Japan in the context of the TPP agreement;
(d) adequacy of existing customs measures to ensure that qualifying
imported goods from TPP countries, including Japan, receive
preferential treatment, and appropriate rules of origin for goods
entering the United States under the proposed TPP agreement;
(e) existing sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical
barriers to trade imposed by Japan that should be addressed in the TPP
negotiations;
(f) existing barriers to trade in services between the United
States and Japan that should be addressed in the TPP negotiations;
(g) relevant electronic commerce and cross-border data flow issues
that should be addressed in the TPP negotiations;
(h) relevant investment issues that should be addressed in the TPP
negotiations;
(i) relevant competition-related matters that should be addressed
in the TPP negotiations;
(j) relevant government procurement issues, including coverage of
any government agencies or state-owned enterprises engaged in
procurements of interest, that should be addressed in the TPP
negotiations;
(k) relevant environmental issues that should be addressed in the
TPP negotiations;
(l) relevant labor issues that should be addressed in the TPP
negotiations;
(m) relevant trade-related intellectual property rights issues that
should be addressed in the TPP negotiations.
In addition to the matters described above, USTR is addressing new
and emerging issues in this proposed regional agreement. Specifically,
USTR is considering new approaches designed to promote innovation and
competitiveness, encourage new technologies and emerging economic
sectors, increase the participation of small- and medium-sized
businesses in trade, and support the development of efficient
production and supply chains that include U.S. firms in order to
encourage firms to invest and produce in the United States. The TPSC
Chair invites comments regarding how Japan's participation in the TPP
negotiations might affect these new approaches. The TPSC Chair also
invites comments on the impact of Japan's participation in the TPP
negotiations on other trade-related priorities in the TPP agreement,
including environmental protection and conservation, transparency,
workers' rights and protections, development, and other issues.
USTR has already provided a notice and requested comments on the
scope for an environmental review of the proposed TPP trade agreement
(see 75 FR 14470, March 25, 2010). As described above, the present
notice invites comments on, among other topics, environmental issues to
be addressed in the TPP negotiations to take into account Japan's
participation in the negotiation. Further comments
[[Page 26684]]
are also invited on the environmental review, including possible
changes in the scope or other issues that should be addressed in the
review. At a later date, USTR, through the TPSC, will publish notice of
reviews regarding the impact of the proposed agreement on U.S.
employment and labor markets. These reviews will take into account
Japan's participation in the negotiations.
A hearing will be held beginning at 9:30 a.m. on July 2, 2013 in
the Main Hearing Room of the United States International Trade
Commission, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20436. Persons wishing to
testify at the hearing must provide written notification of their
intention by 11:59 p.m., June 9. The intent to testify notification
must be made in the ``Type Comment'' field under docket number USTR-
2013-0022 on the regulations.gov Web site and should include the name,
address and telephone number of the person presenting the testimony. A
summary of the testimony should be attached by using the ``Upload
File'' field. The name of the file should also include who will be
presenting the testimony. Remarks at the hearing should be limited to
no more than five minutes to allow for possible questions from the
TPSC.
3. Requirements for Submissions
Persons submitting comments must do so in English and must identify
(on the first page of the submission) ``Participation of Japan in the
Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Negotiations.'' In order to be assured
of consideration, comments should be submitted by 11:59 p.m., June 9,
2013. In order to ensure the timely receipt and consideration of
comments, USTR strongly encourages commenters to make on-line
submissions, using the www.regulations.gov Web site. To submit comments
via www.regulations.gov, enter docket number USTR-2013-0022 on the home
page and click ``search.'' The site will provide a search-results page
listing all documents associated with this docket. Find a reference to
this notice and click on the link entitled ``Comment Now!'' (For
further information on using the www.regulations.gov Web site, please
consult the resources provided on the Web site by clicking on ``How to
Use This Site'' on the left side of the home page).
The www.regulations.gov Web site allows users to provide comments
by filling in a ``Type Comment'' field, or by attaching a document
using an ``Upload File'' field. USTR prefers that comments be provided
in an attached document. If a document is attached, it is sufficient to
type ``See attached'' in the ``Type Comment'' field. USTR prefers
submissions in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If the
submission is in an application other than those two, please indicate
the name of the application in the ``Type Comment'' field.
For any comments submitted electronically containing business
confidential information, the file name of the business confidential
version should begin with the characters ``BC''. Any page containing
business confidential information must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS
CONFIDENTIAL'' on the top of that page. Filers of submissions
containing business confidential information must also submit a public
version of their comments. The file name of the public version should
begin with the character ``P''. The ``BC'' and ``P'' should be followed
by the name of the person or entity submitting the comments or reply
comments. Filers submitting comments containing no business
confidential information should name their file using the name of the
person or entity submitting the comments.
Please do not attach separate cover letters to electronic
submissions; rather, include any information that might appear in a
cover letter in the comments themselves. Similarly, to the extent
possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in
the same file as the submission itself, not as separate files.
As noted, USTR strongly urges submitters to file comments through
www.regulations.gov, if at all possible. Any alternative arrangements
must be made with Ms. Jamison in advance of transmitting a comment. Ms.
Jamison should be contacted at (202) 395-3475. General information
concerning USTR is available at www.ustr.gov.
Comments will be placed in the docket and open to public
inspection, except business confidential information. Comments may be
viewed on the http:www.regulations.gov Web site by entering the
relevant docket number in the search field on the home page.
Laurie-Ann Agama,
Acting Chairman, Trade Policy Staff Committee.
[FR Doc. 2013-10724 Filed 5-6-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F3-P