November 8, 2011
Dietmembers on November 7 banded together cross party lines in a rally to protest against Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko’s intention to announce Japan’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade agreement during the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting this weekend.
The rally in the Diet building was taken part in by 260 parliamentarians from all political parties, except the Your Party.
Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo delivered a speech as one of initiators of the rally along with representatives of the Democratic, the Liberal Democratic, and the Komei parties.
Shii in his speech pointed out that the prime minister provided no convincible explanation about why Japan should enter the TPP now and that in response to Shii’s questioning in the Diet, Noda admitted to the possibility that deregulation of Japan’s public medical services will come up in the TPP talks.
Shii said, “While Japan’s participation in the TPP is completely unwarranted, the prime minister hangs on the free trade agreement as being loyal to the U.S. government. Let’s fight together in order to prevent Noda from allowing Japan’s entry into the negotiations for free trade at the APEC meeting and to put a break on his irresponsible behavior.”
At the rally, representing anti-TPP municipal leaders, Chairman of the National Association of Towns and Villages Fujiwara Tadahiko (mayor of Kawakami Village, Nagano Pref.) reported that the association adopted a resolution in protest against Japan’s TPP entry three times.
He said, “The majority of municipal heads and local assembly members are very much concerned that the TPP participation will deliver a serious blow not only to the nation’s future, but also to local communities’ future as well. The prime minister has to stop and rethink his position on the TPP in which the public opinion is clearly divided.”
Later on the same day, asked by reporters to comment on the rally, JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi said, “If the prime minister, acting alone, announces Japan’s entry into the TPP talks at the APEC conference, it will be in violation of parliamentary democracy and totally unacceptable.”
The rally in the Diet building was taken part in by 260 parliamentarians from all political parties, except the Your Party.
Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo delivered a speech as one of initiators of the rally along with representatives of the Democratic, the Liberal Democratic, and the Komei parties.
Shii in his speech pointed out that the prime minister provided no convincible explanation about why Japan should enter the TPP now and that in response to Shii’s questioning in the Diet, Noda admitted to the possibility that deregulation of Japan’s public medical services will come up in the TPP talks.
Shii said, “While Japan’s participation in the TPP is completely unwarranted, the prime minister hangs on the free trade agreement as being loyal to the U.S. government. Let’s fight together in order to prevent Noda from allowing Japan’s entry into the negotiations for free trade at the APEC meeting and to put a break on his irresponsible behavior.”
At the rally, representing anti-TPP municipal leaders, Chairman of the National Association of Towns and Villages Fujiwara Tadahiko (mayor of Kawakami Village, Nagano Pref.) reported that the association adopted a resolution in protest against Japan’s TPP entry three times.
He said, “The majority of municipal heads and local assembly members are very much concerned that the TPP participation will deliver a serious blow not only to the nation’s future, but also to local communities’ future as well. The prime minister has to stop and rethink his position on the TPP in which the public opinion is clearly divided.”
Later on the same day, asked by reporters to comment on the rally, JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi said, “If the prime minister, acting alone, announces Japan’s entry into the TPP talks at the APEC conference, it will be in violation of parliamentary democracy and totally unacceptable.”
