February 8, 2014
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2014 February 5 - 11 [POLITICS]
JCP Kami: US will further press Japan to lower tariffs in TPP talks |
Kami said at a House Budget Committee meeting, “If the government accepts the U.S. demand, Japan’s 5 agricultural key items will not be protected.”
The U.S. Congress is discussing the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) bill to give the President the authority to negotiate trade deals with foreign countries. The draft law is intended to impose a duty on the President to work to force America’s trade partners to cut their tariffs on foreign agricultural products to the U.S. level or lower.
Kami pointed to the fact that Japan’s tariff on imported rice per kilogram is 341 yen while that of the U.S. is 1.4 yen, and that Japan’s duty on foreign wheat per kilogram is 55 yen while the U.S. tariff is 0.35 yen. “If the Japanese government moves to bring the free trade negotiations to an early conclusion, it will be forced to give in to this extraordinary demand,” she stressed.
Agriculture Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa replied, “I cannot make a comment on the bill because it is related to U.S. domestic legislation.”
Kami also noted that the TPA measure seeks to prohibit mandatory labeling of genetically modified food products. Even though Japan has claimed that the issue is not on the agenda of TPP negotiations, it is clear that Washington will put pressure on Tokyo to free food manufacturers and retailers from the obligation to label genetically engineered products, she said.
Prime Minister Abe Shinzo was unable to refute Kami’s argument and just said, “I think the TPA bill clearly reveals the U.S. intention to move ahead with the trade talks.”
Past related article:
> TPP ignoring each country’s economic sovereignty is unacceptable [December 12, 2012]
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