Japan may offer to eliminate almost all tariffs on seafood in negotiations toward the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact.
The government has begun considering ending tariffs on key seafood imports, including Australian tuna, Canadian crabs, Vietnamese shrimp, and fish meal from Peru andChile. But it is expected to keep tariffs in place for seaweed products to protect domestic cultivators, given the possibility that South Korea will join the trade pact, according to a government official.
Japan imported 1.5 trillion yen ($14.4 billion) worth of seafood in 2012. Imports could grow once the TPP takes effect.