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 conduct. Looking at the trade negotiations so far, we cannot possibly think that the government is conducting “strong diplomacy.” Unrealized slogans are not only meaningless, but are even dangerous. We are disappointed by the government’s negotiating power in the bilateral preliminary talks between Japan and the U.S. concerning Japan’s entry into the TPP. It looks like Japanese negotiators used up all the bargaining chips and made compromises after compromises.
What happened to protection of sensitive agricultural products which Abe gave as a reason for joining the TPP talks? Negotiators of the preliminary negotiations reportedly did not even mention the issue of protecting five key products including rice, dairy products and sugar, the so-called “sanctuaries.” Secretary General Goshi Hosono of the Democratic Party of Japan, the opposition party, expressed concern over the fact that the Japan-U.S. joint statement issued after the conclusion of the negotiations hardly touches on the agricultural sector and that the medical system is not even mentioned. We feel the same way. The statement shows that Japan accepted the U.S. demands as much as possible, while failing to obtain any specific guarantee for what it was asking for. We see a clear demerit in the TPP in that it causes a devastating damage to Japan’s agricultural sector, but what is the merit of joining the TPP if tariffs on automobiles, Japan’s top exporting item, will not be reduced? Who in the world will benefit from joining the TPP?
The TPP is a framework deeply rooted in market fundamentalism, with a basic principle of abolishing all tariffs. Since the TPP negotiations are conducted behind closed doors, it will be far too risky to join the talks without clear prospects. It is an absurd and dangerous scheme, and that is why the agriculture, forestry and fisheries committees of both houses of the Diet each adopted a resolution calling on the government to withdraw from the negotiations if five key sensitive products cannot be protected.
The biggest issue of concern is when the next round of talks will take place. The round of talks after the one in Peru was first scheduled in September, but is likely to be set in July in Malaysia. The U.S. government agreed in the preparatory talks to let Japan join in the talks and Congress is currently under a 90-day consultation period on the issue, which means Japan will be able to participate in the TPP talks as early as Tuesday, July 23 (U.S. time).
If the next round of talks is to be scheduled after that date, Japan will be able to participate in the actual negotiations as a fully-fledged member, although a latecomer. Until now, the only information available was the summary of the negotiations, but from July, Japan is going to see the texts in detail and actually sit on the negotiating table. In the ongoing negotiations in Peru, the participants are likely to engage in a heated discussion over controversial issues such as intellectual property rights and tariffs. Fierce bargaining will surely take place as participants fight aggressively to protect national interests. Now is the time for Japan to show its “strong negotiating power,” as Abe often refers to. The Japanese people’s interests would otherwise be impaired, especially by the U.S. interests strongly backed by industries eager to export to Japan.
(May 15, 2013)