I. Objectives and Activities

The Center for Fair Trade & WTO Studies (the Center) was established in Japan in 1984, as the Fair Trade Center. Its main objectives are to support the WTO trading system, open trade, fair competition, WTO capacity building, harmonization between trade and environment, and sustainable development of global economy.
The activities of the Center in early days were focused on assisting Japanese companies in coping with anti-dumping investigations by foreign authorities. After the Uruguay Round, however, the Center expanded its activities to include a wider range of trade issues under the WTO trading system. The Center has become a think tank and consulting institution concerning a variety of issues related to international economic law.

II. A Nonprofit, Non-governmental, Membership Organization

The Center is a "trade-friendly" NGO and collaborates with the Japanese government (METI) and international organizations such as the WTO. The Center has always been a registered NGO at the WTO Ministerial Conferences.
Members' annual dues and contributions from other private sources financially support the activities of the Center. The Center's membership is comprised of more than 200 corporations and associations of the variety of industries including steel, automobile, electronics, machinery, petrochemicals, textile, cement, paper, and trading houses. The Center also receives donations from a number of domestic and foreign law firms that recognize the value of its activities.

III. Functions

The functions of the Center may be described as follows:

(1) Think tank on trade issues
(2) Communication channel between government and industry
(3) Antenna and database
(4) Educational institution
(5) Consultant on legal issues of trade
(6) Collaborator of the WTO capacity building

IV. Programs

1. Research projects

Every year the Center selects a number of important trade issues and organizes study projects for them. The participating members are usually law professors, government officials, practicing lawyers and corporate legal experts from different industries. The results of the discussions are compiled and printed as Center's reports in Japanese. They are distributed to the members of the Center. To date, the number of such reports is more than 70.

The recent reports include the following subjects:

(1) Critical analysis of the reports of panels and the Appellate Body of the WTO Dispute Settlement process as joint efforts by a group of  legal scholars (Some of the reports are also available in English)
(2) Analysis of various trade laws and remedies by Japan's major trading partners, including anti-dumping duties, countervailing duties, and safeguard measures
(3) Status of domestic implementation of the TRIPS Agreement by the WTO members
(4) Proposed changes to the Anti-dumping Agreement of the WTO in the multilateral negotiations
(5) A multilateral agreement on direct foreign investment

V. Management