Japan has agreed to join an alternative dispute resolution system to the World Trade Organization (WTO) after a prolonged inactivity of the WTO Appellate Body left the country’s dispute cases in limbo.
The cabinet approved the decision to participate in the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA) on Friday, according to the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.
This will make Japan the 26th MPIA member, including China, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Ukraine, Pakistan, and Singapore.
It said the Appellate Body has “ceased functioning” for over three years, and the yearly number of WTO dispute settlement cases had dropped to “less than half of what it was before the current situation began.”…