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2011 April 13 - 19 [ECONOMY]

editorial  TPP participation will greatly hinder disaster reconstruction

April 15, 2011
Editorial (excerpts)

The disaster-hit region of Tohoku is Japan’s major food supplier. Its reconstruction cannot be achieved without the restoration of the agricultural industry. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, which is expected to deal a heavy blow to Japan’s agriculture, will without doubt be a major obstacle to the reconstruction of the Tohoku region. The government must withdraw its plan to participate in the multrateral free-trade pact.

However, Prime Minister Kan Naoto has not shelved Japan’s participation in the TPP. Kan stated at a press conference on April 12 that his cabinet will consider the plan while examining the influence of the disaster on participation.

Japan’s business circles are still pressing the Kan Cabinet to take part in the TPP. Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) Chair Yonekura Hiromasa said in the monthly magazine Bungei Shunju (May issue), “What we want the government to do to revitalize the Japanese economy is to take part in the TPP.” Other promoters of the free-trade agreement are concerned about losing the opportunity for TPP participation due to the major disaster. Ota Hiroko, professor of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, said on an NHK TV program on April 10, “The important agenda [of the TPP] must not be postponed, especially in this difficult time.”

Lifting all tariff-barriers, the TPP is expected to lower Japan’s food-sufficiency rate from 40% to 13%. A wide range of organizations, including farmers, consumers, and other citizens groups, have voiced strong opposition to the nation’s entry into the multilateral economic agreement.

As Iwate Prefecture has the largest number of farmers per capita, agriculture is the key industry in the disaster-stricken region. Revitalization of agriculture and farming communities is the task directly related to the reconstruction of local economies as well as the communities themselves.

It is illogical to argue that now is the time to promote the TPP for Japan’s economic reconstruction following the major disaster. This reflects large corporations’ intention to expand exports with TPP participation amid the harsh economic situation.

Japan’s entry into the TPP devastates not only the agricultural industry but also the economy overall. As the provision of employment has never been more important than now in the disaster-hit region, major corporations now need to place more emphasis on jobs and the needs of local economies. TPP participation will cause much harm to the reconstruction efforts.
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