Selective Adaptation of WTO Transparency Norms and Local Practices in China and Japan

This chapter discusses compliance with World Trade Organization (WTO) transparency measures in the context of China and Japan's implementation of the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement). In brief, it focuses on the importance of Chinese and Japanese local practices, regulatory infrastructure, and local cultural norms related to the principle of transparency and food safety standards as factors in their selective adaptation to WTO norms. It argues that international law can acquire a variety of local meanings that require an understanding of the local history and culture in addition to knowledge of the domestic economy and laws