Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/33831

Rules of origin (RoOs) are the criteria used to determine where a good has been made (AGPC〔2〕), and RoOs are established within each free trade agreement (FTA) independently. Bhagwati〔3〕 called the situation in which various and complicated RoOs exist around the world a “spaghetti bowl phenomenon” and showed his concern about the possibility of confusion of global trade in such a situation. This study adopts the “Restrictiveness Index” methodlogy developed by the Australia Government Productivity Commission (AGPC〔2〕) and compares the degree of restrictiveness of RoOs among four FTAs which Japan has already concluded. The result shows different restrictiveness among these four RoOs.