A comment on fisheries and agricultural trade relationships between New Zealand and Japan

Abstract

The primary objective of this paper is to assess the validity of New Zealand's negotiating strategies with Japan over the question of improved access for New Zealand's agricultural, forestry and fish products in the Japanese market in return for continued access to fish in New Zealand's economic management zones by Japan. This assessment should be regarded as preliminary in so far as it is based only on a subjective evaluation of the facts which surround the issue. These facts were gathered largely as a result of a visit to Japan in November and December 1977, during which discussions were held with fishing companies, fishing industry organisations, officials representing both New Zealand and Japanese interests, and researchers. In addition a good deal of documentary information was gathered from various sources in Japan. It is probable that further evaluation of this will be made subsequently with the objective both of providing New Zealand negotiators with a more detailed and objective data base for their negotiations than is currently available and to provide New Zealand commercial fishing and trading organisations with information of use in developing their marketing plans and in assessing the validity of these marketing plans. Because the New Zealand approach has been to link fishing relationships with agricultural, especially livestock product, relationships, through the format of its negotiations with Japan, it is necessary to discuss not only Japanese fisheries policies and sensitivities but also the inter-relationships of these to livestock policies and the Japanese food economy. For this reason discussions in Japan were extended to food and agricultural economists and officials and information gathered from these sources.