Title
Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Japan for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership
Preamble
THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND (hereinafter referred to as "the United Kingdom") and JAPAN (hereinafter referred to collectively as "the Parties"),
CONSCIOUS of their longstanding and strong partnership based on common principles and values,
and of their important economic, trade and investment relationship;
RECOGNISING the importance of strengthening their economic, trade and investment relations, in accordance with the objective of sustainable development in the economic, social and environmental dimensions, and of promoting trade and investment between them, mindful of the needs of the business communities of each Party, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises, and of high levels of environmental and labour protection through relevant internationally recognised standards and international agreements to which both Parties are party;
RECOGNISING that this Agreement contributes to enhancing consumer welfare through policies ensuring a high level of consumer protection and economic well-being;
REALISING that a dynamic and rapidly changing global environment brought about by globalisation and closer integration among economies in the world presents many new economic challenges and opportunities to the Parties, particularly the growing significance of digital trade based on the principle of the free flow of data;
RECOGNISING that their economies are endowed with conditions to complement each other and that this complementarity should contribute to further promoting the development of trade and investment between the Parties by making use of their respective economic strengths through bilateral trade and investment activities;
BELIEVING that creating a clearly established and secured trade and investment framework through mutually advantageous rules to govern trade and investment between the Parties would enhance the competitiveness of their economies, make their markets more efficient and vibrant and ensure predictable commercial environment for further expansion of trade and investment between them;
REAFFIRMING their commitment to the Charter of the United Nations and having regard to the principles articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
RECOGNISING the importance of transparency in international trade and investment to the benefit of all stakeholders;
SEEKING to establish clear and mutually advantageous rules governing trade and investment between the Parties and to reduce or eliminate barriers thereto;
SEEKING to increase women's access to and ability to benefit from the opportunities created by this Agreement and to support the conditions for women to participate equitably in the domestic and global economy;
RESOLVED to contribute to the harmonious development and expansion of international trade and investment by removing obstacles thereto through this Agreement and to avoid creating new barriers to trade or investment between the Parties that could reduce the benefits of this Agreement;
BUILDING on their respective rights and obligations under the WTO Agreement and other multilateral, regional and bilateral agreements to which both Parties are party; and
DETERMINED to establish a legal framework for strengthening their economic partnership,
HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:
Body
Chapter 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1.1. Objectives
The objectives of this Agreement are to liberalise and facilitate trade and investment, as well as to promote a closer economic relationship between the Parties.
Article 1.2. General Definitions
For the purposes of this Agreement, unless otherwise specified:
(a) "Agreement on Agriculture" means the Agreement on Agriculture in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement;
(b) "Agreement on Anti-Dumping" means the Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement;
(c) "Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures" means the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement;
(d) "Agreement on Safeguards" means the Agreement on Safeguards in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement;
(e) "CPC" means the Provisional Central Product Classification (Statistical Papers Series M No. 77, Department of International Economic and Social Affairs, Statistical Office of the United Nations, New York, 1991);
(f) "customs authority" means:
(i) for the United Kingdom, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and any other authority responsible for customs matters within the customs territory of the United Kingdom; and
(ii) for Japan, the Ministry of Finance;
(g) "customs legislation" means any laws and regulations of a Party, governing the import, export and transit of goods and placing of goods under any other customs procedures, including measures of prohibitions, restrictions and controls falling under the competence of the customs authority;
(h) "customs territory" means:
(i) for the United Kingdom, the territories of the United Kingdom, the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey and the Isle of Man; and
(ii) for Japan, the territory with respect to which the customs legislation of Japan is in force;
(i) "days" means calendar days;
(j) "DSU" means the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes in Annex 2 to the WTO Agreement;
(k) "EU-Japan EPA" means the Agreement between the European Union and Japan for an Economic Partnership, done at Tokyo on 17 July 2018;
(l) "GATS" means the General Agreement on Trade in Services in Annex 1B to the WTO Agreement;
(m) "GATT 1994" means the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement; for the purposes of this Agreement, references to articles in the GATT 1994 include the interpretative notes;
(n) "GPA" means the Agreement on Government Procurement in Annex 4 to the WTO Agreement (1);
(o) "Harmonized System" or "HS" means the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, including its General Rules for the Interpretation, Section Notes, Chapter Notes and Subheading Notes;
(p) "IMF" means the International Monetary Fund;
(q) "measure" means any measure, whether in the form ofa law, regulation, rule, procedure, decision, practice, administrative action, or in any other form;
(r) "natural person of a Party" means a national of a Party in accordance with its applicable laws and regulations;
(s) "person" means a natural person or a legal person;
(t) "SCM Agreement" means the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement;
(u) "SPS Agreement" means the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement;
(v) "TBT Agreement" means the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade in Annex 1A to the WTO Agreement;
(w) "territory" means the area to which this Agreement applies in accordance with Article 1.3; (1)
(x) "TFEU" means the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union;
(y) "TRIPS Agreement" means the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights in Annex 1C to the WTO Agreement;
(z) "WIPO" means the World Intellectual Property Organization;
(aa) "WTO" means the World Trade Organization; and
(bb) "WTO Agreement" means the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization, done at Marrakesh on 15 April 1994.
Article 1.3. Territorial Application
1. This Agreement applies:
(a) for the United Kingdom, to the territory of the United Kingdom; and
(b) for Japan, to the territory of Japan.
2. Unless otherwise specified, this Agreement also applies to all the areas beyond each Party's territorial sea, including the sea-bed and subsoil thereof, over which that Party exercises sovereign rights or jurisdiction in accordance with international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, done at Montego Bay on 10 December 1982 and its laws and regulations which are consistent with international law.
3. As regards the provisions of this Agreement concerning customs matters, this Agreement also applies to those areas of the customs territory of the United Kingdom not covered by subparagraph 1(a).
4. Notwithstanding subparagraph 1(a) and paragraph 2, for the United Kingdom, the Protocol on Mutual Recognition applies to its customs territory.
5. To the extent that application of this Agreement is not provided for under paragraphs 1 to 4, at the time of entry into force of this Agreement, or at any time thereafter, this Agreement, or specified provisions of this Agreement, may be extended to such territories for whose international relations the Government of the United Kingdom is responsible, as may be agreed between the Governments of the Parties in an exchange of diplomatic notes.
6. At any time after an extension in accordance with paragraph 5, the United Kingdom may notify Japan that this Agreement shall no longer apply to a territory for whose international relations the Government of the United Kingdom is responsible. To this end, the procedure set out in paragraph 2 of Article 24.4 shall apply, mutatis mutandis.
Article 1.4. Taxation
1. For the purposes of this Article:
(a) "residence" means residence for tax purposes;
(b) "tax agreement" means an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation or any other international agreement or arrangement relating wholly or mainly to taxation to which a Party is party; and
(c) "taxation measure" means a measure in application of the tax legislation of a Party.
2. This Agreement applies to taxation measures only in so far as such application is necessary to give effect to the provisions of this Agreement.
3. Nothing in this Agreement shall affect the rights and obligations of a Party under any tax agreement. In the event of any inconsistency between this Agreement and any such tax agreement, the tax agreement shall prevail to the extent of the inconsistency. With regard to a tax agreement between the Parties, the relevant competent authorities under this Agreement and that tax agreement shall jointly determine whether an inconsistency exists between this Agreement and the tax agreement.
4. Any most-favoured-nation obligation in this Agreement shall not be applicable with respect to an advantage accorded by a Party pursuant to a tax agreement.
5. The Joint Committee established pursuant to Article 23.1 may decide on a different scope of the application of dispute settlement under Chapter 22 with respect to taxation measures.
6. Subject to the requirement that taxation measures are not applied in a manner which would constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination between the Parties where like conditions prevail, or a disguised restriction on trade and investment, nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to prevent the adoption, maintenance or enforcement by a Party of any taxation measure aimed at ensuring the equitable or effective imposition or collection of taxes such as measures:
(a) distinguishing between taxpayers who are not in the same situation, in particular with regard to their place of residence or the place where their capital is invested; or
(b) preventing the avoidance or evasion of taxes pursuant to the provisions of any tax agreement or domestic tax legislation.
Article 1.5. Security Exceptions
1. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed:
(a) as requiring a Party to provide any information the disclosure of which it considers contrary to its essential security interests;
(b) as preventing a Party from taking any action, which it considers necessary for the protection of its essential security interests, including action:
(i) relating to fissionable and fusionable materials or the materials from which they are derived;
(ii) relating to the production of or trade in arms, ammunition and implements of war as well as to the production of or trade in other goods and materials as carried out directly or indirectly for the purpose of supplying a military establishment;
(iii) relating to the supply of services as carried out directly or indirectly for the purpose of provisioning a military establishment; or
(iv) taken in time of war or other emergency in international relations; or
(c) as preventing a Party from taking any action in pursuance of its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations for the purpose of maintaining international peace and security.
2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1,
(a) for the purposes of Chapter 10, Article III of the GPA applies; and
(b) for the purposes of Chapter 14, Article 14.62 applies.
Article 1.6. Confidential Information
1. Unless otherwise provided for in this Agreement, nothing in this Agreement shall require a Party to provide confidential information the disclosure of which would impede the enforcement of its laws and regulations, or otherwise be contrary to the public interest, or which would prejudice legitimate commercial interests of particular enterprises, public or private.
2. When, under this Agreement, a Party provides the other Party with information which is considered as confidential under its laws and regulations, the other Party shall maintain the confidentiality of the information provided, unless the Party providing the information agrees otherwise.
Article 1.7. Fulfilment of Obligations and Delegated Authority
1. Each Party shall ensure that all necessary measures are taken in order to give effect to the provisions of this Agreement.
2. Unless otherwise specified in this Agreement, each Party shall ensure that any person or entity to which the Party has delegated regulatory or administrative authority to fulfil the Party's obligations under this Agreement acts in accordance with those obligations in the exercise of such delegated authority.
3. For greater certainty, neither Party shall be released from its obligations under this Agreement in the event of non-compliance with the provisions of this Agreement by any of its governmental levels or non-governmental bodies in the exercise of powers delegated by the Party to them.
Article 1.8. Laws and Regulations and Their Amendments
1. Where reference is made in this Agreement to laws and regulations of a Party, those laws and regulations shall be understood to include amendments thereto, unless otherwise specified.
2. Unless otherwise specified, where reference is made in this Agreement to laws and regulations of the European Union, it shall be understood as a reference to those laws and regulations of the European Union as incorporated or implemented in the laws and regulations of the United Kingdom in accordance with the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and includes subsequent amendments by the United Kingdom, if they exist, to those laws and regulations before the date of entry into force of this Agreement.
3. As regards the provisions of this Agreement which, in accordance with paragraphs 3 to 5 of Article 1.3, apply to a territory for whose international relations the Government of the United Kingdom is responsible:
(a) unless otherwise specified, where reference is made to laws and regulations of the European Union, it shall, in respect of that territory, be understood as a reference to those laws and regulations of the European Union as incorporated or implemented in the laws and regulations of that territory on the day following the date on which the EU-Japan EPA ceases to apply to the United Kingdom and includes any subsequent amendments, if they exist, to those laws and regulations before the date on which the provisions of this Agreement containing the reference begins to apply to that territory; and
(b) where reference is made to laws and regulations of the United Kingdom, it shall, in respect of that territory, be understood as a reference to the corresponding laws and regulations of that territory.
Article 1.9. Relation to other Agreements
1. The existing agreements between the Parties are not superseded or terminated by this Agreement.
2. Nothing in this Agreement shall require either Party to act in a manner inconsistent with its obligations under the WTO Agreement.
3. In the event of any inconsistency between this Agreement and any agreement other than the WTO Agreement to which both Parties are party, the Parties shall immediately consult with each other with a view to finding a mutually satisfactory solution.
4. Where international agreements (1) are referred to in or incorporated into this Agreement, in whole or in part, they shall be understood to include amendments thereto or their successor agreements entering into force for both Parties on or after the date of signature of this Agreement. If any matter arises regarding the implementation or application of the provisions of this Agreement as a result of such amendments or successor agreements, the Parties may, on request of either Party, consult with each other with a view to finding a mutually satisfactory solution to this matter as necessary.
5. (a) In the event of an inconsistency between this Agreement and the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland to the Agreement on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, signed in London and Brussels on 24 January 2020, this Agreement shall not prevent a Party from taking a particular measure not consistent with the obligations under this Agreement and relating to the inconsistency between this Agreement and that Protocol, provided that such a measure is not applied in a manner that would constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustified discrimination against the other Party or a disguised restriction on trade.
(b) In that event, a Party shall notify the other Party of such a measure and promptly provide, on request of the other Party, supplementary information or clarification thereon, and the Parties shall hold consultations, on request of either Party, in relation to the effects of the measure on this Agreement, and seek a mutually acceptable solution.
Chapter 2. TRADE IN GOODS
Section A. General Provisions
Article 2.1. Objective
The objective of this Chapter is to facilitate trade in goods between the Parties and to progressively liberalise trade in goods in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
Article 2.2. Scope
Unless otherwise provided for in this Agreement, this Chapter applies to trade in goods between the Parties.
Article 2.3. Definitions
For the purposes of this Chapter:
(a) "export licensing procedures" means administrative procedures, whether or not referred to as licensing, used by a Party for the operation of export licensing regimes requiring the submission of an application or other documentation, other than that required for customs procedures, to the relevant administrative body as a prior condition for exportation from that Party;
(b) "non-automatic import or export licensing procedures" means licensing procedures where approval of the application is not granted for all persons who fulfil the requirements of the Party concerned for engaging in import or export operations involving the goods subject to those licensing procedures; and
(c) "originating" means qualifying as originating in a Party under the provisions of Chapter 3.
Article 2.4. Customs Duty
Each Party shall reduce or eliminate customs duties pursuant to paragraph 1 of Article 2.8. For the purposes of this Chapter, "customs duties" means any duty or charge of any kind imposed on or in connection with the importation of a good, including any form of surtax or surcharge imposed on or in connection with such importation, but does not include any:
(a) charge equivalent to an internal tax imposed in accordance with Article III of GATT 1994;
(b) duty applied in accordance with Articles VI and XIX of GATT 1994, the Agreement on Anti-Dumping, the SCM Agreement, the Agreement on Safeguards and Article 22 of the DSU; and
(c) fees or other charges imposed in accordance with Article 2.16.
Article 2.5. Agricultural Safeguards
1. Agricultural goods qualifying as originating goods of a Party (hereinafter referred to as âoriginating agricultural goods") shall not be subject to any duties applied by the other Party pursuant to a special safeguard measure taken under the Agreement on Agriculture.
2. Agricultural safeguard measures on the originating agricultural goods under this Agreement may be applied in accordance with Section C of Part 3 of Annex 2-A.
Section B. National Treatment and Market Access for Goods
Article 2.6. Classification of Goods
The classification of goods in trade between the Parties shall be in conformity with the Harmonized System.
Article 2.7. National Treatment
Each Party shall accord national treatment to the goods of the other Party in accordance with Article Il of GATT 1994. To that end, Article III of GATT 1994 is incorporated into and made part of this Agreement, mutatis mutandis.
Article 2.8. Reduction and Elimination of Customs Duties on Imports
1. Unless otherwise provided for in this Agreement, each Party shall reduce or eliminate customs duties on originating goods of the other Party in accordance with Annex 2-A.
2. Where a Party reduces its most-favoured-nation applied rate of customs duty, that duty rate shall apply to an originating good of the other Party if, and for as long as, it is lower than the customs duty rate on the same good calculated in accordance with Annex 2-A.
3. (a) The treatment of originating goods ofa Party classified under the tariff lines indicated with "S" in the Column "Note" in the Schedule of the United Kingdom in Section B of Part 2 of Annex 2-A and in the Schedule of Japan in Section D of Part 3 of Annex 2-A, shall be subject to review by the Parties in the fifth year following the date of entry into force of this Agreement or in a year on which the Parties otherwise agree, whichever comes first. The review shall proceed with a view to improving market access conditions through, for example, measures such as faster reduction or elimination of customs duties, streamlining of tendering processes, and improving the design and operation of the scheme set out in Section B of Part 3 of Annex 2, as well as addressing issues related to levies.
(b) The Parties shall commence a review of treatment of originating agricultural goods other than those covered by subparagraph (a) in the fifth year following the date of entry into force of this Agreement, with a view to improving market access conditions through, for example, measures such as faster reduction or elimination of customs duties, streamlining of tendering processes, and improving the design and operation of the scheme set out in Section B of Part 3 of Annex 2-A, as well as addressing issues related to levies.
4. Where a Party grants a larger or faster tariff reduction, higher quota or any other more favourable treatment than that provided for under this Agreement to a third country based on an international agreement for goods covered by subparagraph 3(a) which affects the balance in the United Kingdom's or Japan's market of such goods, the Parties shall, with a view to ensuring that the other Party obtains at least the same preference, commence such a review within three months of the date of entry into force of the international agreement between the United Kingdom and that third country or between Japan and that third country, and will conduct the review with the aim of concluding it within six months of the same date.
Article 2.9. Goods Re-entered after Repair and Alteration
1. A Party shall not apply a customs duty to a good, regardless of its origin, that re-enters its customs territory after having been temporarily exported from its customs territory to the customs territory of the other Party for repair or alteration, regardless of whether that repair or alteration could have been performed in the customs territory of the former Party, provided that the good concerned re-enters the customs territory of that former Party within the period as specified in its laws and regulations.
2. Paragraph 1 does not apply to a good in the customs territory of a Party under customs control without payment of import duties and taxes that is exported for repair or alteration and that does not re-enter the customs territory under customs control without payment of import duties and taxes.
3. A Party shall not apply a customs duty to a good, regardless of its origin, imported temporarily from the customs territory of the other Party for repair or alteration, provided that the good is re-exported from the customs territory of the importing Party within the period specified in its laws and regulations.
4. For the purposes of this Article, "repair" or "alteration" means any operation or process undertaken on a good to remedy operational defects or material damage and entailing the re-establishment of the good to its original function, or to ensure its compliance with technical requirements for its use. Repair or alteration of a good includes restoring and maintenance regardless of a possible increase in the value of the good, but does not include an operation or process that:
(a) destroys a good's essential characteristics or creates a new or commercially different good;
(b) transforms an unfinished good into a finished good; or