Japan, Germany agree to promote free trade, rules-based order

Thank heavens the US never demanded Japan open up its borders!

the two ministers said they will cooperate on issues related to climate change, working to ensure the Paris accord aimed at fighting global warming is implemented.

This is an extremely important issue. We're seeing the effects of climate change all over the world right now, with lives being lost. Of course, the cause and effect is lost on some and short term vision is all they've got.

Let's hope it's not too late to save the planet.

@Toasted Heretic

Every run starts with the frist step! But the run for to save the planet get's complicated more and more. But maybe when two of the economics leading nations, with similar historical background, starts an new initiative.. this could be an good step to save us.

@Cochise

Sounds like too much informations from Breitbart-News! Reality looks different!

Bet the rice farmers didn't get their markets to foreign competition

Good for them

Japanese SALES TAX will not change, German made autos sold to the Japanese consumer will still be taxed at 110% .

So you are saying that German produced vehicles will have a 100% tariff and then the additional 10% consumption tax added on top of that?

Remember in this case the consumption tax is added to everything sold in Japan. A tariff charge and sales tax/consumption tax are two very different things.

German produced vehicles WILL NOT be taxed at 110% you can surely bet on that!

I'm farming rice and haven't gone broke, so something must be said about farming...

Go into a Japanese supermarket and notice the lack of foreign products on the shelves-free trade is a misnomer here....

You definitely are not looking at the labels that's for sure.

And another trade agreement in the world that bypasses the US altogether. Another step towards US irrelevance.

Trump was stupid to think he could wage a trade war against most of the entire planet, and somehow come out above. I think he forgot that while the US has the largest economy, it's only a small portion of overall trade in the world.

@Strangerland - your comments are funny, full of wishful thinking :)

And yet, no one ever writes up any contradiction to them whatsoever. I've written plenty of long posts full of things to be pulled apart. But the most I ever get is a random question that somehow is supposed to score a point, or I get called a name.

So, which part of my posts are wishful thinking, and how are they not born out in reality?

Meanwhile, Trump is contemplating a scheme which would give him de facto control over each and every tariff from each and every country, a scheme that would in effect exit the US from the WTO. Not that that's a bad thing: overreach is one scenario which could finally split congressional GOPers from Trump.

https://www.axios.com/trump-trade-war-leaked-bill-world-trade-organization-united-states-d51278d2-0516-4def-a4d3-ed676f4e0f83.html

Funny because neither Japan nor Germany have ''free trade''. They have ''managed trade'', that's why they love having 'trade deals'' with others. The very fact that you want to have a trade deal means that you do not want to have free trade, you want to have managed trade, free trade is the absence of any deals.

Also, ''rules based order'' sounds so nice, but who made the rules? The powers that be, or to be more precise, the powers that WERE, and now those same rules are being challenged by the powers that ARE. How selfish of them to oppose or try to challenge rules designed to serve the interests of the former powers.

Japanese SALES TAX will not change, German made autos sold to the Japanese consumer will still be taxed at 110% .

@ Andrew Crisp

No big deal, all rice farmer's are safe.. in Northern Europe nobody is able to produce rice. It's to cold :-)

@ Bill Wright

exactly if the seperate countries have no common internal VAT and luxury tax system.. you will spare only some Yen, if you buy a product.

Kono is just the man for the job, not.

 I think he forgot that while the US has the largest economy, it's only a small portion of overall trade in the world.

For the time being, this soon shall too pass, and it will probably happen faster now BECAUSE of Trump!

wait until Germany finds out how Japan defines "free" trade. haha

At first I was not a President Trump fan and now... I am still not a fan but I will say that I am on board with a Trade War.  The world needs this shake up (this includes the US) there will be financial casualties on all sides but hopeful what comes out of it is better than what the world has now.

@Strangerland - your comments are funny, full of wishful thinking :)

Go into a Japanese supermarket and notice the lack of foreign products on the shelves-free trade is a misnomer here....

What wasted 5 years of Abe's anti-China policy, it only turns out that much of Japan's interests are align with China's.