Author Archives: The Japan Agricultural News

【News】 Anti-TPP professors say tariff cuts will lead to JPY 10.5 trillion drop in production and 1.9 million job losses (May 23, 2013)

Posted on 2013-05-23 by The Japan Agricultural News

  A group of some 900 university professors and researchers announced on Wednesday, May 22, their own estimate of the possible economic impacts of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks. They estimated that the production in the agricultural sector and related industries together could decline by 10.54 trillion yen, calculated on the assumption that tariffs on 33 agricultural items are immediately scrapped, the same simulation adopted by the Japanese government in estimating the impacts. They also said that 1.46 million workers in the agricultural sector, or 1.9 million including workers in related industries, would lose their jobs, and that the nation’s gross domestic product would decline by 4.8 trillion yen, … Continue reading →

Posted in Trade Talks | Tagged | Comments Off on 【News】 Anti-TPP professors say tariff cuts will lead to JPY 10.5 trillion drop in production and 1.9 million job losses (May 23, 2013)

【Series】 TPP – Underlying motive of the U.S.: report on anti-TPP lawmakers’ visit to the U.S. Part 4 （May 17, 2013）

Posted on 2013-05-17 by The Japan Agricultural News

  Part 4; U.S. Congress aims to give White House free hand to negotiate TPP Takanori Okabe “I would like to see a bipartisan trade promotion authority bill introduced by June,” United States Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said in his opening statement at a hearing on the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact held on Wednesday, April 23, as the Japanese delegation of anti-TPP policymakers looked on. In the U.S., Congress basically has the authority over trade policies. TPA, previously known as fast track, gives the President the authority for a limited period of time to negotiate trade agreements that Congress cannot amend. It expired in July 2007, and without the … Continue reading →

Posted in Trade Talks | Tagged | Comments Off on 【Series】 TPP – Underlying motive of the U.S.: report on anti-TPP lawmakers’ visit to the U.S. Part 4 （May 17, 2013）

【News】 Agricultural high school girls express their passion for veggies as anime heroines (May 17, 2013)

Posted on 2013-05-17 by The Japan Agricultural News

Five third-year girl students of Kochi Prefectural Agricultural High School transformed into magical girls are actively campaigning to liven up the local Gotenmachi shopping area of Nangoku, Kochi Prefecture. Veggie’s Farm Girls, dressed in cute outfits and blond wigs resembling characters in a popular anime “Pretty Cure,” are becoming popular among girls in the area. The pioneer local hero in the Gomenmachi shopping area is a super hero group named “Gomenger,” who enjoy overwhelming popularity among children. Meanwhile, the students came up with the idea of performing as magical girls to offer something which appeals to young girls. As students of an agricultural high school, they say they hope to … Continue reading →

Posted in Photos | Tagged | Comments Off on 【News】 Agricultural high school girls express their passion for veggies as anime heroines (May 17, 2013)

【News】 Farmers’ groups of Japan and US issue a joint statement, expressing strong concern over TPP as a threat to national sovereignty (May 16, 2013)

Posted on 2013-05-16 by The Japan Agricultural News

  Japan’s Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives (JA Zenchu) and the United States’ National Farmers Union issued a joint statement on Wednesday, May 15 (Tuesday, May 14, U.S. time), to express strong concerns over negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade framework. It noted that agriculture must be treated differently from other economic sectors in trade agreements, due to the fundamental importance of food security, rural economies and cultural considerations. It said that the TPP negotiations raise serious questions of national sovereignty, as the talks cover important issues for the citizens of each country, ranging from food safety to health care. The joint statement, the fruit of cooperation between agricultural organizations … Continue reading →

Posted in Trade Talks | Tagged | Comments Off on 【News】 Farmers’ groups of Japan and US issue a joint statement, expressing strong concern over TPP as a threat to national sovereignty (May 16, 2013)

【Editorial】 TPP talks enters a new phase; the absurdity of the framework should not be overlooked (May 15, 2013)

Posted on 2013-05-15 by The Japan Agricultural News

  The Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks, where negotiations for tariff elimination and revision of rules led by the United States are conducted in parallel, will enter a new phase. The TPP participants will discuss Japan’s entry into the TPP in the round of talks which was expected to start on Wednesday, May 15, in Peru. The TPP is an absurd scheme which differs completely from other trade negotiations. We must closely watch the discussions by the 11 participating countries and face the fact that our food and our lives are actually being threatened. To begin with, we should question the “strong diplomacy” which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has promised to … Continue reading →

Posted in Trade Talks | Tagged | Comments Off on 【Editorial】 TPP talks enters a new phase; the absurdity of the framework should not be overlooked (May 15, 2013)