Japan Press Weekly

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2017 January 11 - 17 [POLITICS]

Farmers resolve to keep fighting until Abe gov’t fully gives up on TPP

The 3-day convention of the Japan Family Farmers Movement (Nouminren) started on January 16 in Tokyo. Participating farmers will discuss ways to revive Japanese farming villages and decide on this year’s action program.

Nouminren President Shiraishi Jun’ichi first criticized the LDP-Komei government led by PM Abe Shinzo for having forcibly approved the TPP agreement and related-bills in the Diet at the cost of betraying Japanese farmers.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who puts America first, has been proclaiming since the presidential election campaign that the U.S. will leave the TPP negotiations and instead promote bilateral trade deals (FTA) with each nation.

Nouminren President Shiraishi expressed concern over the U.S. move, saying that Japan could be pressed by the new administration to swallow more concessions in the form of a bilateral FTA.

Shiraishi went on to say that what PM Abe has in his mind is to put the Japanese farmers’ mutual aid system as well as this system’s reserve and funds into the hands of multinational corporations in line with the TPP pact. He called for stepping up farmers’ efforts to replace the agricultural policy which is destroying the country’s agricultural sector and help bring about a new government in Japan.

Nouminren Vice President Mashima Yoshitaka said, “The need is for Japan to have sovereignty over its economy and food based on the principle of equality and mutual benefit. All farmers in Japan must unite to corner the Abe regime into implementing a full withdrawal from the TPP and to resist participation in any FTA.”

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Kami Tomoko spoke on behalf of the JCP and conveyed the party’s commitment to bring down the Abe government in cooperation with the Nouminren.

> Abe spreads myth that farmers will benefit from export promotion [June 28, 2016]
> Basic agreement on TPP separates farmers from LDP [June 18, 2016]
> Farmers & citizens take to streets to block TPP ratification [March 31, 2016]
> Japan Agricultural Cooperatives: basic agreement on TPP is regrettable [October 7, 2015]