Monthly Archives: March 2013

【News】 Abe declares Japan will join TPP (March 16, 2013)

  Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formally announced Friday, March 15, in a press conference at his official residence that Japan will take a seat at the negotiating table for the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks. Abe explained that it “is the last chance” for Japan to take part in the rule-making process of a free trade framework in the Asia-Pacific region, and expressed determination to defend the nation’s interests, saying that the government will “protect what should be protected, and gain what should be gained.” There is no guarantee, however, that the key agricultural products, which the Liberal Democratic Party indicated as exceptions, will be exempted from tariff elimination, and the … Continue reading

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【Editorial】 Joining the TPP negotiations is abandonment of national sovereignty (March 16, 2013)

  We strongly protest and denounce Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s announcement to join the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) talks. The announcement is an outrage against public sentiment and it is clearly against his campaign promise. The TPP is an agreement which undoubtedly goes against Japan’s national interest and could lead to collapsing of the nation’s system, and proceeding with the talks in such a forceful and uncertain way is equivalent to an abandonment of national sovereignty. It is extremely regrettable that the government has rushed into making a decision on the issue related to the nation’s fundamentals without any disclosure of the decision making process or enough national debate on the … Continue reading

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【Editor’s column】 TPP: An act of utmost folly bringing devastation to the nation (March 16, 2013)

  Editor in Chief, Kosuke Nagai I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind making such a decision. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has, after all, announced his intention to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks. The TPP scheme will make Japan submit to the economic hegemony of the United States, and the Japanese society will be ruined, dominated by U.S. rules. There will be no future for the nation’s agriculture, and the people’s lives will be at stake. Entering the TPP talks is a leap into the dark, an act of utmost folly. Abe proudly stated in a press conference the significance of participating in the talks. But vital as … Continue reading

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