After failing to reach agreement by the year end, ministers from the 12 member countries engaged in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks decided to meet again in January. Farmers interviewed by The Japan Agricultural News unanimously voiced concern over future TPP negotiations and the Japanese government’s stance amid growing pressure from the United States to open markets.
“The U.S. is too strong-armed,” said Koichi Kakizaki, 61, who grows rice on a 20-hectare land in Kaneyama, Yamagata Prefecture. “It seems like the U.S. is telling Japan and other countries to become its followers.”
“We farmers think that joining the TPP talks in itself was wrong,” Kakizaki said, urging the government to desperately defend the key agricultural products, as ambitious full-time farmers would suffer great damage if tariffs on such products are eliminated.
Hiromi Fujiwara, 48, head of Rice Farm operating 63 hectares of rice field in Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture, said that although Japan managed to push back against U.S. demands this time, he is worried that the Japanese government might make a compromise in the future.
Since he is distrustful of the government which decided to join the TPP talks despite strong opposition from the public, Fujiwara said people should not feel they are not involved just because information disclosure is insufficient. “I will work together with other members of the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives’ youth organization to raise voices for the protection of key agricultural products,” he said.
Kaneo Morishita, 63, who grows Brussels sprouts on a 90-are land in Kikugawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, said he thinks it is natural for the TPP negotiators to have difficulties reaching agreement because they are negotiating with conflicting interests. Since he is growing rice as well, he is very much worried about prospects of the closed-door negotiations on tariffs. “I feel that media reports on the TPP talks are decreasing recently,” Morishita said. “I am determined to watch whether the government will follow the Diet resolutions (which pledge to maintain tariffs on key farm products).”
Yoshiyuki Fukunishi, 66, director of agricultural producers’ cooperative corporation Sakodo Farm, also said he wants the government to keep the promise of protecting what must be protected. Sakodo Farm, operated by 56 residents of Koka, Shiga Prefecture, produces rice, wheat and soybeans on 41 hectares of land. Fukunishi said the firm has decided to expand business with rice production, adding that the government should inform producers of how the negotiations are progressing.
Isamu Echigo, a 49-year-old farmer in Kimobetsu, Hokkaido, said the conflicting interests of member countries became more distinct in the ministerial meeting, adding that he cannot be optimistic about the future course of the negotiations because the ministers only postponed the conclusion. He doubts whether Yasutoshi Nishimura, senior vice minister of the Cabinet Office who attended the ministerial meeting, really acknowledges the fact that there are numerous stakeholders watching the negotiations with great concern.
Dairy farmers and cattle breeders who are burdened with rising feed prices share the same concerns. Kana Nara, a 49-year-old dairy farmer raising 180 milk cows in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, calls on the government to maintain its stance. “The shipment standards for dairy products in Japan are high,” Nara said. “We have pride in producing high-quality products, but if the inflow of cheap imports with a lower quality gives a blow to domestic farmers, the producers will not be able to meet the needs of consumers looking for domestic products.”
Yushi Nakamura, 36, who raises 100 wagyu Japanese cows in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, has participated in rallies and addressed concerns related to the TPP talks as a member of JA’s youth organization. “We will continue to make the anti-TPP protests so as not to let the government think that farmers have given up on opposing the TPP talks,” Nakamura said. “But since there is little information on the negotiations available, we are worried that the government might make all the decisions under the table before we know it,” he said, calling on the government to make sufficient disclosure.
(Dec. 12, 2013)