Statement by the Minister Edano regarding Russia's WTO membership

December 16, 2011

1. Japan has been consistently supporting Russia to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) as early as possible. Japan welcomes that the Ministerial Conference approved Russia's membership today.
2. Japan expects that Russia's WTO membership, whose economic scale in 2010 was the world's eighth largest GDP, will further strengthen the multilateral trading system and enhance the trade relation between Japan and Russia in the future.

Multilateral Trade System Department, Trade Policy Bureau