KEY POINTS:
The Japan-New Zealand Partnership Forum proposed for Tokyo next May has won the support of Government and business leaders from both countries.
The forum was announced at the 34th annual Japan New Zealand Business Council last week in Tokyo.
International Business Forum chairman Graeme Harrison said the partnership forum, modelled on the United States-NZ partnership forum, aimed to strengthen bilateral ties.
Denham Shale, New Zealand chairman of the council, and his Japanese counterpart, are both members of the advisory group for the partnership forum which will have Government and business participants.
Fonterra's Philip Turner outlined to the council the advantages of forming a Japan-New Zealand free trade agreement.
That is a goal that NZ government and business leaders share, but which has gained less traction than calls for closer economic partnerships.
Turner, a former diplomat, said working together could help break into other markets.
Fonterra's intellectual property and Japan's agricultural supply, put together, could supply markets such as China and India.
The agenda for the partnership forum has yet to be announced, but the support for it follows several calls by prime ministers in both countries for a new level of engagement in general, and in some key sectors.
- NZPA
