November 16, 2014

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

The leaders of 12 nations negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade pact, including Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and U.S. President Barack Obama, have given up on the goal of concluding their talks by the end of this year. This shows that there are still major disagreements among the countries involved in the U.S.-led negotiations.

Washington is aiming to force the other participating nations to follow its own trade rules. In bilateral talks between the Japanese and U.S. governments, which are said to hold the key to the success of the TPP negotiations, Washington has been putting pressure on Tokyo to remove the import tariffs on beef and pork.

Elimination of the tariffs on imported beef and pork will threaten the future of Japan’s livestock farmers.

Advocates of the TPP in Japan claim that the free trade agreement will benefit Japan. However, a report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture states that the U.S. will greatly increase the amount of exports of agricultural products under a new framework, and that about 70% of the increase in all exports is projected to flow into the Japanese market.

Such a huge, rapid increase in imports will deal a serious blow to domestic farmers and threaten a stable supply of food. It is clear that the free trade initiative will destroy Japan’s agriculture and the health and well-being of the general public.

In defiance of strong public opposition, the Abe administration joined in the TPP talks last year. The current difficulty in the talks indicates that the government’s decision was wrong and lacking a sustainable vision for the future.

To block the Abe government from moving ahead with the trade negotiations, it is important to strengthen the movements demanding Japan’s withdrawal from the talks.

Past related article:
> Abe Cabinet breaks promise to citizens on TPP [October 10, 2013]