ABSTRACT
On October 31 2002, an exchange of diplomatic notes took place between Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Singapore Kunihiko Makita and Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs S. Jayakumar. The notes provided for the two countries to enter into the Japan–Singapore Economic Partnership Agreement (JSEPA). This FTA represents a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (EPA) aimed at liberalizing and facilitating trade and investments, and promoting bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas, including financial services, information and communications technology (ICT), human resources development, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and tourism. Its wide coverage makes JSEPA more than a traditional FTA that normally focuses solely on the elimination of trade barriers among signatories.
