Tag Archives: Editorial

  Office of the United States Trade Representative submitted the 2013 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers to U.S. President Barack Obama and Congress. Concerning Japan, the report lists issues of concern in such sectors as automobile and insurance, the areas which are addressed in the preliminary negotiations between Japan and the U.S. on Japan’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks. The report also includes demands which could go against the campaign pledges concerning the TPP that the Liberal Democratic Party made in the Lower House elections last year. The Japanese government should not allow the U.S. to interfere unjustly in internal policies. The U.S. demand which … Continue reading →

  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 →

  We cannot allow an important decision for Japan’s future to be made on such untrustworthy grounds — never without sufficient disclosure of information or national debate on the issue. The joint statement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks issued Friday, February 22, after a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and United States President Barack Obama does not offer any guarantee that Japan can maintain tariffs on key farm products, which is one of the six items the Liberal Democratic Party listed in its campaign pledge, as well as for other five items such as universal health insurance coverage. It is far too hasty to decide to join … Continue reading →

  As many had warned, the fear of the United States-South Korea Free Trade Agreement becoming an infringement of national sovereignty is coming true. South Korea was planning to introduce a system of imposing a surcharge on buyers of cars with excessive CO2 emissions in July, but the plan was postponed until the year 2015 under the pressure from the American auto industry. The decision was apparently made taking into account the underlying threat of an investor-state dispute resolution, a system which is expected to be introduced in the Trans-Pacific Partnership framework as well, and such a trend should on no account be overlooked. It was on March 15 last … Continue reading →