8 U.S. lawmakers visiting Japan to promote TPP

Japan must resist this TPP as must other countries... too much secrecy regarding the contents alot of which allow American multinationals to sue governments for doing what is right for their citizens if it damages their corporate interests ie: profit making

Only 8? even 80 won't help achieve anything when are you are dealing with Japan.

Only if it's in our favor?

What we need to know is what corporate ties these 8 have and how their support for the TPP, written by and for huge corporations and kept secret from citizens, will benefit their reelection campaigns and hold on power.

I keep reading about all this "secrecy".Regardless of what your opinion of TPP is, do you really think this deal ,or any deal for that matter, could be negotiated in the public forum? It doesn't happen in government and it doesn't happen in business. Everyone keeps their cards close to their vest. It's the only sensible thing to do.

8 U.S. lawmakers visiting Japan to promote TPP

This headline should read "8 U.S. lawmakers visiting Japan who are promoting 'fast tracking' TPP in the U.S. Congress"

I read some where that Japan will only sign on if it fast tracked.

there are so many reasons to be against the TPP, but the biggest for me personally is the extension of copyright for books. currently, copyright expires around 50 years after publication (it varies from country to country). but the TPP would extend that to about 100 years.

https://blog.archive.org/2014/07/09/working-to-stop-rewriting-copyright-laws-via-tpp-treaty/

"No, but this is a government deal, forced on the people of many countries, not a private business deal that may or may not be successful. People need input into deals that affect their lives."

Details leak out or are floated for public reaction but a good negotiator (yes, even government) would never reveal everything going on behind the scenes. Someone, somewhere will always oppose and raise a stink to what is proposed and so any deal, even one favorable to Japan, would be impossible to accomplish.

For Japan it would be a bad deal all the way around

For Japan? Who? Big business ? The consumer here is in a pretty much win-win situation as they will have access to products and services previously unavailable to them in the current market.

One example, Japanese pharmaceuticals, TPP will give Japanese consumers access to better and more effective medications than ever before. There is NO need to go to the hospital for many common ailments and the arguments that "only" doctors know what medicine to prescribe for things such as a common cold are ludicrous.

That is just the tip of the iceberg as well.

Agriculture? If the Japanese think "their" products are superior to anything else out there, then let them put their money where their mouths are and open the market to more foreign produce and let's see. We pay inordinately high prices for all sorts of products that can be had much cheaper in other countries. Rice is something like 150% higher in cost here due to government subsidies and regulations on imports.

The consumer here will NOT lose.

This is all speculation.

Lets say TPP has been up and running for 10 years. Dairy, rice, meat, etc. products have been pouring into the country for ten years wiping out a large sector of the agricultural industry. Now lets say Japan decides to go against the corporate/global opinion and decide to build nuclear weapons, or offer a new cheap energy technology or decide to keep their porn censored, and the global reaction is to sanction Japan by cutting off their food supply, much like Russia has done in reverse. Japan would have no choice but to capitulate to this new Corporate World Order.

It just doesn't sound like the human race would become freer with the TPP, just the opposite, we would become corporate slaves.

@paulinusa

I keep reading about all this "secrecy".Regardless of what your opinion of TPP is, do you really think this deal ,or any deal for that matter, could be negotiated in the public forum? It doesn't happen in government and it doesn't happen in business. Everyone keeps their cards close to their vest. It's the only sensible thing to do.

A better understanding of the this "agreement" is required. First, it should be seen as public policy, as it will effect the laws in all signatory countries and, second, it is only to a limited degree about trade--just 5 of 29 chapters apparently address trade directly. Rather, it is a give-away to banks and big corporations, 600 of which have been given access and with their lawyers and lobbyists have been writing the drafts. Public representatives and citizen groups have been for the most part excluded. Is this good public policy formation for democracies? Secrecy here is not about countries hiding their cards to make the best deal for their people, it is about putting the interests of the corporate and investing elite and their political dogs above everyone else. If we look at the results from NAFTA (after which TPP has been modelled), where despite growing GDP and productivity most people have seen their incomes stagnate or decline and we find income and wealth gaps increasing in all three signatory countries, it should be clear this is part of class warfare and the only sensible thing to do is expose it and oppose it.

i think the deal will help create a more level playing field for all who participate, than one country monopolizing on the other.

in that sense, poor countries will be more likely to also have more access to the open market, to cheaper products, and political corruption or any corporate deceits can be more exposed along the way.

i think this will be in tune to helping the poor, not the rich.

TPP, or Government-regulated free trade - a bad concept.

Who are those 8 people representing anyway, government, business, Republicans, or what?

Or are they just a bipartisan committee on a junket to Japan?

Japanese markets are protected from invasion by foreign products by the myriad special customs and practices, regulations, definitions, inspections, health checks and certification requirements of Japan Inc. Medicines and health products are the more fiercely guarded preserve of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

Japan should work out trade deals separate from TPP as it has been doing. unfortunatley when the TPP is complete with 0 tarriffs on most goods, why would the US (japans most important partner in the group) accept higher tariffs on its goods to Japan, by having a bilateral FTA with Japan. If Japan pulls out or is kicked out of the TPP theyll find it very difficult to match the low tarriffs other countries now and will have with the US putting them at a trade disadvantage. Even Abe is starting to understand that protecting J agriculture (less than 1% of the economy and most of whom are almost ready to retire) for the sake of the much larger export side of the economy is foolish.

The TPP is a poor deal for Japan and countries other than the US. I don't want US IP laws forced down my throat. Nor do I want to eat GM food and hormone-ridden meat. Unfortunately, the big-business biased LDP will accept all the bad points in order to increase the profits of their donors.

Well, I did a quick search, and I can't find out who 6 of the 8 are. Geesh! Even these 6 are secret. lol

BitzovFizz - Some of your specualtive prognostications border on the bizarre. Lets say the world situation deteriorates to the point where Japan begins to manufacture nuclear weapons. I think the populace here may have more to worry about at that time than whether our imported food supply is cut off. Japan already imports about 60% of its food anyway. And should Japan develop a breakthrough in cheap safe energy, the 2 outcomes are both in Japan's favor. The first is that if Japan decides to export this technology, only the middle east or Russia where they get their current fossil fuel supply from would be irked. And neither locations send food to Japan. And should Japan keep this technology secret, major food suppliers to Japan, like the US, have their own adequate energy supplies and would not be affected.

BaltanSeijin84

It wasn't meant to be taken that serious. Barn mice-lol.

FizzBit: Well, I did a quick search, and I can't find out who 6 of the 8 are. Geesh! Even these 6 are secret. lol

Meeks of NYC is the only Democrat on the delegation, didn't see the names of the others.

“We are the committee that writes TPA. We are in the closing stages of finalizing the legislation. We anticipate passing this legislation this spring,” Ryan said

Tell that to your other clueless legislators who were yapping couple weeks ago. Get your xxxx straight and that's when you lawmakers start trash talking.

Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee,

So the americans have ways and means to make you comply.

Japan seems to be between a rock and hard place. There'd be some disadvantages regardless of whether it takes part in that or not.

Friggin' right! That it is geopolitically important for other countries to see how well Japan & US work together. Back in the Regan-Nakasone "jidai" both America & Japan lived off the fat-of-the-land. And whenever Alan Greenspan spoke, they all listened ears wide open. Need to get it back, japan is slacking off though. China in Asia's driver seat now.

i think this will be in tune to helping the poor, not the rich.

If you really the think the corporations and upper 1% would approve this deal with the intention to make themselves poorer, then you are delusional.

What the delegation was doing was sending a message to Abe Shinzo: you had better deliver Japan on this because we are going to deliver fast track. Also, listen up, Shinzo, the more you play ball, the nicer we will be when you address the Congress, or at least the House (watch out for Royce, though; he will expect you to say the right thing about war time sexual slavery, too).

Used to be Californian Comgressmen pushing to export Californian Short Grain Rice and Japanese Govt not to import. Well, there is no Calif lawmakers. Is this because short grain rice sales increased? Or sales pf new type of rice cooker creater created more short grain rice eaters in USA? Other agriculture products are more priority in TPP talks mow.