On March 26, the Japanese government approved a new bill: the “Bill on the investigations and regulations of the use of lands and buildings in neighboring areas of certain important facilities and remote islands that are adjacent to borders”[1] (“Bill”). The Bill, which grants authority to investigate and regulate the purchase and use of land and buildings which are in close proximity to defense facilities and important infrastructure[2], was submitted to the Diet on the…
On 1 February, one year after leaving the EU, the UK submitted a formal request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The original Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was agreed in principle in October 2015, attracting significant attention as a model for future Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). In January 2017 the newly elected Trump administration announced its withdrawal from the TPP, leaving the remaining 11 countries to agree the revised CPTPP in October 2018,…