The change from multilateralism to bilateralism is one of the important trends at present in the world trade environment. Since the late 1990s, Japan has supported a free trade agreement-based trade policy for both a WTO-based multilateral trade system and active participation in promoting regionalism in relation to bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs). This policy shift began in earnest with the Japan-Singapore FTA in 2002. (The rest is omitted.)