Japan Press Weekly

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2015 December 9 - 15 [POLITICS]

Farmers & consumers stage ‘Green Wave’ action opposing TPP

The National Campaign for the Defense of the People’s Food and Health (Shokkenren) on December 9 staged the concluding action in its “Green Wave 2015” campaign in Tokyo, calling for blocking Japan from joining in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade framework.

Shokkenren, consisting of civic groups such as trade unions and farmers’ organizations, conducts a nationwide campaign called “Green Wave” every year. This year it started in early October. Calling for Japan’s withdrawal from TPP negotiations and for increasing Japan’s food self-sufficiency rate, they have carried out various actions across the country such as signature campaigns and holding talks with agricultural cooperatives and local government heads.

At a rally held in front of the office of the Agriculture Ministry, Japan Family Farmers Movement (Nouminren) Chair Shiraishi Jun’ichi delivered a speech on behalf of the action organizers. He said, “Many people around the nation, including presidents of agricultural cooperatives, are criticizing the Abe government for making a broad agreement on the TPP pact, saying that it goes against the Diet resolution (which requires the administration to maintain the current tariff protection for Japan’s five key agricultural products). Let’s stop Japan from entering into the TPP deal at any cost.”

Tateno Yutaka, secretary-general of the federation of agricultural cooperative workers’ unions, stressed, “The food situation is deteriorating on a global scale. If Japan takes part in the TPP, it will inevitably destroy the domestic foundation for safe food production.”

In negotiations with the Agriculture Ministry, activists condemned the national government for considering lowering the target of Japan’s food self-sufficiency ratio (reaching 45% by 2025) on the assumption that Japan will join in the free trade framework.

On the same day, a forum to examine the TPP issue took place in the Diet members’ office building with more than 300 people participating. This event was hosted by civil groups which are independently analyzing the TPP broad agreement.

In the discussion, Nakano Kazuko, representing a lawyers’ network opposing the TPP, pointed out that the “outline” of the broad agreement which the Abe Cabinet published in November includes only one-tenth of the full text written in English. “If the complete text is made public, it will turn out that the TPP deal is extremely harmful to the general public”, she said.

A participant said from the floor, “In next year’s Upper House election, we have to give a severe verdict to the Abe administration for promoting the TPP.”

Past related article:
> JCP Kami urges gov’t to withdraw from TPP [November 12, 2015]