The FAA has signed a Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA) between the United States and Japan that allows for the reciprocal certification of aircraft and aviation products.

The BASA was signed by US Embassy Charge d'Affaires ad interim James Zumwalt and Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Hirofumi Nakasone. FAA Acting Assistant Administrator for International Aviation Dorothy ("Di") Reimold signed the BASA Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness with the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau Director for Engineering Toru Miyashita.

"This is a major step forward in the maturing aviation relationship between our nations," said Acting FAA Administrator Lynne A. Osmus. "We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with our aviation safety counterparts in Japan."

The air travel market between the United States and Japan was approximately 11.2 million passengers in FY 2008. In FY 2008, Japan was the largest export market for U.S. aerospace products, with exports valued at $8.3 billion. Air traffic levels between the United States and the Asia-Pacific region are estimated to increase by 6.5 percent from 2006 to 2010.

FMI: www.faa.gov