AFTE Statement on Meeting Between U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
WASHINGTON (January 13, 2023) – Today, Executive Director of the Alliance for Trade Enforcement Brian Pomper released the following statement on Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House:
“AFTE welcomes President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida’s meeting to ‘further deepen ties between our governments, economies, and our people’ and applauds the existing $252 billion U.S.-Japan trade relationship.
“We also hope that today’s meeting starts a dialogue on ways to improve Japan’s treatment of U.S. businesses to further expand that trade partnership.
“For example, Japan’s lack of predictable, transparent biopharmaceutical pricing practices impedes American firms from accessing the Japanese market — disadvantaging U.S. inventors and Japanese patients alike. And the current way in which Japan’s Patent Office interprets patent law can discourage U.S. biotech firms from researching and developing new medical uses and indications for existing products.
“Addressing these and other trade barriers would usher in a new era of U.S.-Japan trade, to the betterment of both Japanese and American society. The Alliance for Trade Enforcement charges President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida to do so after concluding today’s discussions.”
About the Alliance for Trade Enforcement: The Alliance for Trade Enforcement is a coalition of trade associations and business groups that advocates for foreign governments to end unfair trade practices that harm U.S. innovative industries and supports U.S. policymakers in their efforts to hold our trading partners accountable.