February 1, 2012
Japanese Communist Party representative Kami Tomoko warned that Japan could be pressed to accept requests that undermine its interests in secret negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement at the January 31 Upper House Budget Committee meeting.
Citing the announcement made by the New Zealand government that 9 countries taking part in TPP negotiations agreed to keep their negotiated agreements secret for four years, Kami pointed out that Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko also confirmed this in response to JCP Chair Shii Kazuo’s Diet interpellation. “The prime minister will not be able to fulfill the promise he made at the APEC meetings to disclose information related to the trade-pact negotiations,” said Kami.
In answer to Kami, Noda only said that he will release only the information he is allowed to release.
Kami also pointed out that the parliament and citizens of South Korea were not fully informed of the process in ratifying the Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Noda answered, “I should refrain from commenting on the U.S.-South Korea situation.”
“Their relationship is related to Japan,” said Kami, citing the remarks made by Charlene Barshefsky, the former ambassador of the United States Trade Representative, who said that the U.S. wants to call on Japan to make more concessions than South Korea made in the FTA negotiations with the U.S.
Kami pointed to 113 requests that U.S. corporations want their government to make to Japan compiled by the USTR, including removal of tariffs on dairy products, deregulation of the food additive authorization system, relaxation of residual pesticides tests, liberalization of government procurement, agriculture, and medical equipment markets, and revision of preferential treatments to postal services.
These requests would inevitably undermine Japan’s interests, said Kami, and called on the prime minister to stop taking part in the TPP.
Citing the announcement made by the New Zealand government that 9 countries taking part in TPP negotiations agreed to keep their negotiated agreements secret for four years, Kami pointed out that Prime Minister Noda Yoshihiko also confirmed this in response to JCP Chair Shii Kazuo’s Diet interpellation. “The prime minister will not be able to fulfill the promise he made at the APEC meetings to disclose information related to the trade-pact negotiations,” said Kami.
In answer to Kami, Noda only said that he will release only the information he is allowed to release.
Kami also pointed out that the parliament and citizens of South Korea were not fully informed of the process in ratifying the Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Noda answered, “I should refrain from commenting on the U.S.-South Korea situation.”
“Their relationship is related to Japan,” said Kami, citing the remarks made by Charlene Barshefsky, the former ambassador of the United States Trade Representative, who said that the U.S. wants to call on Japan to make more concessions than South Korea made in the FTA negotiations with the U.S.
Kami pointed to 113 requests that U.S. corporations want their government to make to Japan compiled by the USTR, including removal of tariffs on dairy products, deregulation of the food additive authorization system, relaxation of residual pesticides tests, liberalization of government procurement, agriculture, and medical equipment markets, and revision of preferential treatments to postal services.
These requests would inevitably undermine Japan’s interests, said Kami, and called on the prime minister to stop taking part in the TPP.
