Jul 25 2014
The Abe administration has instructed all ministries and other offices to introduce fuel-cell cars as official vehicles, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga saidFriday. The administration is also mulling a subsidy program to help promote the next-generation green car, Suga said.Fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs), powered by electricity generated through the chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, emit no carbon dioxide.
Toyota Motor Corp. is expected to start selling a sedan FCV in Japan by next March, which would make it the world’s first automaker to begin commercial sales. Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday that 2015 will “mark the first year of FCVs,” adding that his ministry is willing to promote them.
Japan, Mongolia agree on free trade accord
Abe also vowed to provide support for facilitating Mongolia's exports and sustainable economic development as a complementary package of an economic initiative Tokyo announced at their summit last year. Mongolia has diplomatic ties with North Korea and has provided venues for contact between Japanese and North Korean officials to discuss North Korea's abductions of Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s, an issue that has prevented the two countries from normalizing bilateral relations. Tokyo and Pyongyang have recently resumed intergovernmental talks on the matter, and the latter has launched a special committee to investigate the victims' fates.
Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj said at the outset of a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that he welcomes the substantive agreement, expressing hope the pact will obtain approval of the parliaments of both countries "early next year."The deal will bring the bilateral economic relations to "the new stage," Abe said at a joint press conference following the summit.
In 2013, Japan's exports to Mongolia were valued at 29.3 billion yen (about $288 million) and Mongolia's exports to Japan at 1.9 billion yen. Japan's main export items to Mongolia include used passenger vehicles, which account for some 45 percent of total exports. Mongolia mainly exports coal and other natural resources. Under the free trade agreement, Mongolia will immediately abolish its 5 percent tariffs on some Japanese automobiles with engine displacement of 4,500 cc or below, while tariffs on other automobiles, including some used vehicles, will be scrapped in 10 years, according to Japanese government officials.
Meanwhile, Abe gained support from Elbegdorj for his resolve to make Japan a proactive contributor to peace. Abe explained that his Cabinet earlier this month approved a major security policy shift that would allow Japan to defend its allies under armed attack by reinterpreting the pacifist Constitution. The two leaders also agreed that Japan and Mongolia will contribute to the stability and prosperity of the region and international society. "Strengthening diplomatic relations with Japan is one of the top priorities for Mongolia," Elbegdorj said.
Tokyo will introduce the tariff-quota system on some processed beef products imported from Mongolia. It will also abolish tariffs on almost all industrial products imports, including cashmere goods, in up to 10 years, the officials said. Tokyo is the first free trade partner for Ulan Bator. The two launched their talks in 2012 and held seven sessions of negotiations.
Japan and Mongolia reached a substantive free trade agreement on Tuesdayfeaturing Ulan Bator's abolition of its tariffs on most Japanese automobiles in 10 years. The size of the bilateral trade is relatively small, but Tokyo apparently aims to leverage closer economic ties to boost their political relations as Japan has partly relied on Mongolian assistance in negotiating with North Korea over the abduction issue.
