Nikkei Asia reported on November 2 that Japan and Taiwan are drafting a broad trade agreement that could be signed by the end of the year at the earliest. Taiwan's foreign minister did not confirm the details but welcomed the idea, and Tokyo has offered no official confirmation.
According to the Taipei Times and the Central News Agency, Nikkei Asia cited two senior sources as saying Japan is negotiating with the administration of President Lai Ching-te. The format would follow the Enhanced Trade Partnership arrangement Taiwan and the United Kingdom signed in 2023, with signing possible by the end of 2026 at the earliest. One source said the framework is flexible, allowing the two sides to sign more specific sectoral agreements later.
광고 문의 · 300×250Five areas in the draft
The reported draft covers economic resilience and innovation, disaster prevention and mitigation industry cooperation (including drones for responding to earthquakes and other disasters), digital trade, trade facilitation and sustainable development. Nikkei relayed a source's view that the structure lowers political sensitivity and gives Japan a political buffer even if China reacts strongly.
Japan is Taiwan's third-largest trade partner. Taiwan imports integrated circuits, chipmaking equipment and precision chemicals from Japan, while Japan mainly imports electronics from Taiwan. The sources hope a deal with Japan will encourage countries such as Canada and the Philippines to advance their own agreements with Taiwan.
Reactions from Taipei and analysts
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung did not confirm the report on November 2 but said Taiwan is optimistic about a Japanese initiative. He said the two sides have signed nearly 100 cooperation agreements and memoranda, that industrial cooperation such as semiconductor investment supports supply chains and economic security, and that a more systematic comprehensive trade initiative would be welcome. The Executive Yuan's trade office gave no specific confirmation and said only that deepening cooperation is the direction of its efforts.
Katsuya Yamamoto of Japan's Sasakawa Peace Foundation said Japan had been cautious about formalizing economic ties with Taiwan but that economic security has become a major policy priority and the environment has clearly changed, stressing that the cooperation is not aimed at any country. Beijing's official reaction and the Japanese government's position had not been confirmed at the time of writing.
