The government will seek early settlement of the Japan-U.S. talks concerning tariffs on agricultural products, trying to reach basic agreements of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks, Akira Amari, minister in charge of Economic Revitalization and TPP indicated in the interview with the Japan Agricultural News and others. To reach the basic agreements in November that U.S. President Barack Obama aims at, the Japan-U.S. talks need to be concluded and the ministerial meeting has be held in October, Amari said.
“President Obama has set the basic agreements in November as a goal, and the negotiations are moving toward it”, Amari said. “We have to plan two events (Japan-U.S. talks and the meeting of ministers from 12 countries) from the end of September to the middle and end of October.”
“Before that, we have to reach agreements on all the problems except those that need high-level political decisions,” Amari continued and indicated his idea that it is necessary to settle the technical problems in the negotiation meeting by top officials being held in Vietnam or the Japan-U.S. working-level negotiation to be resumed on September 9.
He also stressed, “we can never allow lopsided arguments,” bearing the United States in his mind. Japan and the U.S. have confirmed that they will seek agreements based on “formula” of measures such as safeguards and tariff phase-outs regarding Japanese agricultural products as sensitive items. Amari meant to ensure the U.S would not overthrow these situations.
Moreover, Amari welcomed the inauguration of Koya Nishikawa, former chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s committee on the TPP talks, as the minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, saying, “a very positive person joined the Cabinet. I want him to achieve the extremely important role to unite the ministry.” When asked by a reporter if Nishikawa’s inauguration would lead the LDP to show more cautious attitudes, Amari just said “I asked Sadakazu Tanigaki, the Secretary-General, to select successors.”
(Sept. 7, 2014)