Category Archives: Trade Talks

【News】 Japanese negotiators briefed by TPP countries day after its TPP debut (July 25, 2013)

  Satomi Tamai – Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Japan received a briefing on Wednesday, July 24, by other members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations about the current status of the talks. As Japan became the 12th member in the already over 3-year-old negotiations the day before, the TPP participants specially arranged the “Japan session” to help Japan catch up with the negotiations. They were briefed on 7 fields, including market access covering tariff elimination, out of 21 fields covered under the pact, and briefings on the remaining fields will be given on the following day. In the session scheduled until Thursday, July 25, Japanese negotiators hope they can explain … Continue reading

Posted in Trade Talks | Tagged | Comments Off on 【News】 Japanese negotiators briefed by TPP countries day after its TPP debut (July 25, 2013)

【Editorial】 The mighty ruling party should listen to the voices from rural areas (July 23, 2013)

  The ruling Liberal Democratic Party won a sweeping victory in the Upper House election on Sunday, July 21. But Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should take to heart that this does not indicate voters’ acceptance of his administration’s inclination toward neoliberalism. Rather, for rural communities, the future looks increasingly uncertain and gaps between rural and urban areas are growing. Abe cannot just sit back and enjoy the victory. In implementing agricultural policies in particular, he should listen humbly to the concerns of farmers and rural communities. Although the election put an end to the divided Diet in terms of the number of seats, the division between politics and public opinion … Continue reading

Posted in Trade Talks | Tagged | Comments Off on 【Editorial】 The mighty ruling party should listen to the voices from rural areas (July 23, 2013)

【News】 Can’t stay silent – weekly magazines feature articles on TPP (July 20, 2013)

  After the Japanese government announced its intention to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks, one magazine after another is publishing feature articles on the issue. Not only political and economic magazines but even gossip magazines have put together well-described stories on such topics as food safety and privatization of health care. The articles are receiving positive reactions from readers, indicating that magazines can play an effective role in stimulating public concern over the TPP talks. “Your breakfast will be filled with genetically modified foods and foods grown using pesticides.” “Even full-time employees will be fired suddenly like in the United States.” “You won’t be able to take your child … Continue reading

Posted in Trade Talks | Tagged | Comments Off on 【News】 Can’t stay silent – weekly magazines feature articles on TPP (July 20, 2013)

【News】 Cutting tariffs on agricultural products will squeeze domestic production of agricultural and related industries by 11.7 trillion yen, professors say (July 18, 2013)

  A group of anti-TPP professors announced on Wednesday, July 17, that if the government abolishes tariffs on agricultural products as discussed under the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks, domestic production in the agricultural and related sectors is estimated to drop by 11.7 trillion yen. According to Eiji Doi, professor emeritus at Shizuoka University who conducted the calculations, the group’s estimates are based on the government estimate that farming output is likely to drop by 3 trillion yen, but they also include impacts on related industries such as transportation and food processing which are predicted to suffer nearly three times as much damage as the agricultural sector. As a result, the … Continue reading

Posted in Trade Talks | Tagged | Comments Off on 【News】 Cutting tariffs on agricultural products will squeeze domestic production of agricultural and related industries by 11.7 trillion yen, professors say (July 18, 2013)

【Editorial】 Election candidates should discuss TPP in their own words (July 17, 2013)

  With only a few days left before the Upper House election, the focus remains on whether the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner New Komeito, which already control the more powerful Lower House, can finally put an end to the divided Diet by winning a majority in the Upper House. Much less attention is paid on the actual policy debates, and almost no discussion has been made on strategies concerning the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks, which is one of the top priority policies. Farmers have virtually no clue who they should trust and to whom they should cast their votes. Candidates should discuss in their own words their … Continue reading

Posted in Trade Talks | Tagged | Comments Off on 【Editorial】 Election candidates should discuss TPP in their own words (July 17, 2013)