EU and Japan Sign Historic Deal to Create One of World’s Biggest Open Trade Zones

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe poses after signing a contract with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk at the Japanese Prime Minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, July 17, 2018. Martin Bureau/Pool via Reuters

Leaders from the European Union and Japan signed a landmark trade deal on July 17, creating one of the world’s largest open trade zones including more than 600 million people and about a third of global GDP.

At the EU–Japan summit in Tokyo, presidents Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe signed the EU–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement, the biggest trade deal ever negotiated by the European Union.