Ecuador and Japan Keep an Economic Partnership Agreement on the Table

Ecuador has asked Japan to move toward an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), opening a trade-policy track that could affect seafood, bananas, cacao, manufactured goods, and investment.

The request followed a meeting in Quito between Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa. Both sides agreed to expand discussions through the Commission for Economy and Trade, with the next phase targeted for completion before the end of 2026.

The agenda includes cooperation in security, infrastructure, and energy. For businesses, the relevant point is that trade negotiations are being discussed alongside investment and operating cooperation rather than in isolation.

Existing commercial links

Japan is already an important destination and partner for Ecuador. Ecuador is the sixth-largest crude supplier to Japan, after the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United States.

For non-oil exports, seafood products lead Ecuador’s sales to Japan, followed by frozen vegetables, especially broccoli, bananas, and cacao. Between January and March 2026, Ecuador exported USD 24.4 million in shrimp and other seafood products to Japan, USD 20 million in broccoli, and USD 4 million in cacao.

The cacao connection is particularly established. Meiji Holdings has maintained a relationship with Ecuadorian cacao producers for 100 years, and Ecuadorian raw material represents 20% of that company’s purchases. That kind of supply relationship gives any future trade agreement an existing commercial base rather than a blank starting point.

Investment and infrastructure signals

Japanese private capital is also present in Ecuador’s aquaculture sector. In early 2024, Mitsui & Co. invested USD 360 million in Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila, described as the world’s largest shrimp supplier.

The Japanese delegation said there are 19 Japanese private firms operating in Ecuador. The government’s stated objective is to create conditions that support additional private investment, while the bilateral agenda also touches energy and infrastructure.

The relationship extends into Galápagos mobility. A project involving the United Nations Development Programme and Toyota aims to reduce emissions and protect mobility on the islands. Toyota is supplying hybrid vehicles because the islands’ electricity infrastructure was described as incompatible with the operation of the electric vehicles used previously.

Japan is also a tourism market, although smaller than the trade and investment channels: 1,150 Japanese tourists arrived in Ecuador between January and April 2026.

What to watch

The next milestone is not a signed EPA. It is whether Ecuador and Japan turn the requested discussion into a formal negotiating calendar before the end of 2026. Companies should track whether the agenda produces market-access work for seafood, cacao, bananas, and broccoli; investment facilitation; and specific infrastructure or energy partnerships.

The strategic signal is diversification. Ecuador is using an existing commodity relationship with Japan to pursue a broader trade and investment platform. The commercial outcome will depend on the terms negotiated, not on the announcement alone.

Source: Vistazo