台湾WTO加盟後の対中政策手段とFTA外交

WTO加盟は台湾にとって、初めての国連組織への加盟となる。また、FTAへの参加資格を得た点において大きな外交得点であった。しかし、中国との経済関係の自由化を迫られるデメリットがあるが、中国との政治的な緊張関係を利用して台湾は自由化を遅らせることもできる。一方、他のWTOメンバーとのFTA締結は法的障害を除去しても、中国の反対がネックとなっている。

The Policy Making Process in FTA Negotiations: A Case Study of Japanese Bilateral EPAs

This paper analyzes Japanese bilateral EPA negotiations, focusing on the areas that each country decided were most important, as well as which actors played the most important roles in each set of negotiations. The negotiations with Mexico and Thailand, which tried to increase agricultural exports to Japan through FTAs, will be discussed. Japan, one should note, still seeks to protect its agricultural sector in spite of the spread of liberalization. The Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia’s efforts to improve and compete in developing their automotive industries, in the face of the completion of AFTA in 2010, are also examined. In addition, this paper discusses whether economic cooperation, the essential Japanese strategy in EPA negotiations, alters the negotiation process in any significant way.

第3章 関税・輸入商品税除去の生産コストへの効果とFTA: アジア国際産業連関表による価格分析

アジア国際産業連関表は、各国各産業の生産構造において関税・輸入商品税を投入要素として明示的にしている。2000年アジア国際産業連関表を用いて、特定(複数)国の関税･輸入商品税の除去がどの程度生産コスト低減に波及するかを、これまで例のなかった国際表による価格モデルによって、中国、日本およびアセアンの組み合わせ(FTA)による効果を検討した。その結果、これまで他の分析から言われている日・中・アセアンFTA が最も効果があるということが、価格モデルからも示されることが判明した。

The Japan-Peru FTA : antecedents, significance and main features

The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Japan and Peru came into effect on March 1, 2012. This paper provides background information about this agreement's significance, mostly from a Peruvian point of view. It focuses on the following subjects: the statistical trends showing Peru's declining shares in Japan's trade and investment flows with Latin American countries between the mid-1970s and mid-2000s, the main explanatory factors of such a deterioration in Peru's economic position over that period, the changes of trade policy strategy in both countries since the 2000s, and the EPA negotiation process and some of its key results as featured in the text of the agreement.

Firms' use of FTA schemes in exporting and importing : is there a two-way relationship?

In this paper, we examine the roles of firm size in the use of FTA schemes in exporting and importing. Also, it is investigated as to whether FTA users in importing (exporting) are more likely to use FTA schemes in exporting (importing). To do that, we employed a unique survey in which the detailed information on FTA use is available for Japanese affiliates in ASEAN. Our findings are summarized as follows. First, firm size matters in the use of FTA schemes only in exporting, not in importing. Second, the past experience of FTA use in exporting (importing) does not help firms use the FTA schemes in importing (exporting). Thus, it is necessary to assist firms to use FTA schemes in exporting even if they are already using FTA schemes in importing.

The source of sustainable growth in Costa Rica

Costa Rica has some concerns for the "middle income trap" stemming from her perceived weakening export competitiveness, intensifying competition in attracting FDI inflow; and apparent lack of innovation capabilities. Quantitative analyses on the impact of recent FTAs suggest only large firms benefit from FTAs suggesting the need for improving utilization by smaller firms. Continuing attraction of potential MNCs backed by human capital development is necessary. In pursuing its development goals, Costa Rica should be mindful of its reputation as an environmentally friendly place.

Is FTA/EPA effective for a developing country to attract FDI? : simulation analysis based on an extended knowledge-capital model

To prepare an answer to the question of how a developing country can attract FDI, this paper explored the factors and policies that may help bring FDI into a developing country by utilizing an extended version of the knowledge-capital model. With a special focus on the effects of FTAs/EPAs between market countries and developing countries, simulations with the model revealed the following: (1) Although FTA/EPA generally ends to increase FDI to a developing country, the possibility of improving welfare through increased demand for skilled and unskilled labor becomes higher as the size of the country declines; (2) Because the additional implementation of cost-saving policies to reduce firm-type/trade-link specific fixed costs ends to depreciate the price of skilled labor by saving its input, a developing country, which is extremely scarce in skilled labor, is better off avoiding the additional option; (3) If a country hopes to enjoy larger welfare gains with EPA, efforts to increase skilled labor in the country, such as investing in education, may be beneficial.

Evaluation of the utilization of electric vehicles for building energy management in hotels

Governments are working in new policies to slow down total energy consumption and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, promoting the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) in all countries. In order to facilitate this deployment and help to reduce the final costs of their batteries, additional utilization of EVs when those are parked has been proposed. EVs can be used to minimize the total electricity cost of buildings (named vehicle to building applications, V2B). In this paper an economic evaluation of EVs in the Building Energy Management System is shown. The optimal storage capacity and its equivalent number of EVs are determined. This value is then used for determining the optimal charging schedule to be applied to the batteries. From this schedule, the total expected profit is derived for the case of a real hotel in Spain.

Yield, nutrient utilization and soil properties in a melon crop amended with wine-distillery waste

In Spain, large quantities of wine are produced every year (3,339,700 tonnes in 2011) (FAO, 2011) with the consequent waste generation. During the winemaking process, solid residues like grape stalks are generated, as well as grape marc and wine lees as by-products. According to the Council Regulation (EC) 1493/1999 on the common organization of the wine market, by-products coming from the winery industry must be sent to alcohol-distilleries to generate exhausted grape marc and vinasses. With an adequate composting treatment, these wastes can be applied to soils as a source of nutrients and organic matter. A three-year field experiment (2011, 2012 and 2013) was carried out in Ciudad Real (central Spain) to study the effects of wine-distillery waste compost application in a melon crop (Cucumis melo L.). Melon crop has been traditionally cultivated in this area with high inputs of water and fertilizers, but no antecedents of application of winery wastes are known. In a randomized complete block design, four treatments were compared: three compost doses consisted of 6.7 (D1), 13.3 (D2) and 20 t compost ha-1 (D3), and a control treatment without compost addition (D0). The soil was a shallow sandy-loam (Petrocalcic Palexeralfs) with a depth of 0.60 m and a discontinuous petrocalcic horizon between 0.60 and 0.70 m, slightly basic (pH 8.4), poor in organic matter (0.24%), rich in potassium (410 ppm) and with a medium level of phosphorus (22.1 ppm). During each growing period four harvests were carried out and total and marketable yield (fruits weighting <1 kg or visually rotten were not considered), fruit average weight and fruit number per plant were determined. At the end of the crop cycle, four plants per treatment were sampled and the nutrient content (N, P and K) was determined. Soil samplings (0-30 cm depth) were carried before the application of compost and at the end of each growing season and available N and P, as well as exchangeable K content were analyzed. With this information, an integrated analysis was carried out with the aim to evaluate the suitability of this compost as organic amendment.

The effect of user fee exemption on the utilization of maternal health care at mission health facilities in Malawi

Acknowledgements This article was based on the first author’s PhD which was financed by the Malawi Health Research Capacity Strengthening Initiative. We thank Mr Patrick Naphini formerly of the Ministry of Health and Mrs Mafase Sesani at CHAM Secretariat for helping with the data. We also thank Mr Jacob Mazalale for useful comments on the article.

Up-regulation of specific tyrosinase mRNAs in mouse melanomas with the c2j gene substituted for the wild-type tyrosinase allele: Utilization in design of syngeneic immunotherapy models

The expression of cell-specialization genes is likely to be changing in tumor cells as their differentiation declines. Functional changes in these genes might yield unusual peptide epitopes with anti-tumor potential and could occur without modification in the DNA sequence of the gene. Melanomas undergo a characteristic decline in melanization that may reflect altered contributions of key melanocytic genes such as tyrosinase. Quantitative reverse transcriptase–PCR of the wild-type (C) tyrosinase gene in transgenic (C57BL/6 strain) mouse melanomas has revealed a shift toward alternative splicing of the pre-mRNA that generated increased levels of the Δ1b and Δ1d mRNA splice variants. The spontaneous c2j albino mutation of tyrosinase (in the C57BL/6 strain) changes the pre-mRNA splicing pattern. In c2j/c2j melanomas, alternative splicing was again increased. However, while some mRNAs (notably Δ1b) present in C/C were obligatorily absent, others (Δ3 and Δ1d) were elevated. In c2j/c2j melanomas, the percentage of total tyrosinase transcripts attributable to Δ3 reached approximately 2-fold the incidence in c2j/c2j or C/C skin melanocytes. The percentage attributable to Δ1d rose to approximately 2-fold the incidence in c2j/c2j skin, and to 10-fold that in C/C skin. These differences provide a basis for unique mouse models in which the melanoma arises in skin grafted from a C/C or c2j/c2j transgenic donor to a transgenic host of the same or opposite tyrosinase genotype. Immunotherapy designs then could be based on augmenting those antigenic peptides that are novel or overrepresented in a tumor relative to the syngeneic host.