Japan Press Weekly

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2011 March 2 - 8 [JCP]

TPP will be a focal issue in nationwide local elections: Shii

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo at a press conference held in Sapporo City, Hokkaido on March 5 stated that the JCP will inform prospective voters in the April nationwide local assembly election campaign that the party is opposing Japan’s entry into the TPP agreement, anticipating that a focal issue for the elections will be whether Japan takes part in the free-trade agreement or not.

The line of argument that JCP Dietmembers have been developing in Diet deliberations has clearly revealed that Japan’s participation in the tariff-free pact based on the U.S.-led economic strategy will undermine access to a stable supply of food in Japan and will strip Japan of its economic sovereignty in fields of not only food products but also medical, employment, and financial sectors.

Recent opinion surveys also show that more respondents are skeptical about joining the TPP than those who see an entry into the TPP as a positive move (Sankei Shimbun, Fuji News Network).

This trend prevails among local assemblies as well. The number of prefectural assemblies that adopted a statement in opposition to or cautious about the TPP has so far amounted to 40 out of all 47 prefectures. More than 1,100 city, ward, town, and village assemblies have also expressed a cautionary stance. Out of 180 municipalities in Hokkaido, 175 have stated their opposition to Japan’s participation in the TPP.

The Your Party and the ruling Democratic Party of Japan are clear advocates of Japan’s entry into the TPP. The previous ruling Liberal Democratic and Komei parties say that they cannot say they support or oppose joining the TPP (Nikkei Shimbun on March 5).

The JCP is the only party that expresses firm opposition to the TPP.