Japan, RP pact biased towards, Japanese Exports

The promised benefits to Philippine exports of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) may not materialize because the pact is biased towards Japanese imports, according to independent think-tank IBON Foundation.

According to IBON research head Sonny Africa, Philippine exports to Japan, apart from re-exported semiconductors assembled from imported inputs, are mainly fruit and fruit juices, such as bananas, pineapples and mangoes. Bananas from the Philippines make up 58% of Japan