U.S. & Japan Sign C-TPAT/AEO MRA
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced that Japan and the U.S. signed a mutual recognition arrangement that recognizes compatibility between the U.S.' Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism and Japan's Partners Authorized Economic Operators cargo security programs.
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(CBP officials have previously stated that the final step after signing the arrangement is the technical implementation of mutual recognition.)
U.S., Japan to Accept Security Status of Members of Each Other's Programs
The arrangement acknowledges that Japan's Customs and Tariff Bureau (CTB) and CBP will accept the security status of members of each other's programs.
It is expected that this arrangement will result in cost savings to both CTB and CBP because the number of supply chain security validations that each customs administration has to conduct will be reduced.
Goal of Mutual Recognition Arrangements is a Unified, Sustainable Security Standard
CBP states that the goal of these mutual recognition arrangements is to link the various international industry partnership programs, so that together they create a unified and sustainable security standard that can assist in securing and facilitating global cargo trade.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 03/26/09 news, 09032610, for BP summary of a CBP official saying that CBP was working to sign mutual recognition agreements with Japan and Singapore in 2009, etc.
See ITT's Online Archives 08/21/08 news, 08082120, for BP summary of CBP officials discussing mutual recognition of C-TPAT and similar programs.))
CBP news release (dated 07/01/09) available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/07012009_2.xml
Japan AEO program website available at http://www.customs.go.jp/english/aeo/index.htm