Anti-dumping policy in Japan: From passive to active and self-disciplined anti-dumping actions

While Japan's anti-dumping (AD) legislation has a long history, the use of AD policies in Japan was limited until the 2010s. This study analyses the evolution of Japan's AD policy over more than 100 years and its background across four periods: (1) from the AD Law's enactment in 1920 to the establishment of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT); (2) from the establishment of GATT to 1990, when no investigation or taxation was conducted; (3) from 1991 to 2008, a period of trial-and-error in AD procedures; and (4) the period after 2009 when the legal system and procedures were improved, and AD measures were being used more. In addition, we discuss the characteristics of industries that applied for AD. The reasons for the low number of AD measures in Japan vary by period and are driven by the circumstances of the prevailing times.