Japan Press Weekly

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2012 November 7 - 13 [AGRICULTURE]

Over 90% prefectural assemblies adopt anti-TPP resolutions

Akahata reported on November 6 that more than 90% of prefectural assemblies in the country adopted resolutions critical of Japan’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.

Out of 47 prefectural assemblies, 44 have adopted such resolutions. Of them, 19 oppose the free trade pact outright. Some assemblies, such as in Hokkaido and Aomori, have adopted such resolutions many times.

The other prefectural assemblies that have carried resolutions request the central government to deal with the matter with caution. These assemblies also criticize the Noda Cabinet for starting prior consultations with the U.S. government last autumn without providing the public with necessary information about the issue.

The prefectural assembly of Fukushima, which hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, adopted the decision in October urging the national administration to give up participating in the agreement. The document stresses that the state should give top priority to the reconstruction of the areas stricken by the Great East Japan Disaster and the Fukushima nuclear accident last year. It also states, “Taking part in the TPP will result in crushing farmers’ will to continue farming and hampering the restoration.”