politics

Abe's TPP gambit pays off, for now

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yes for now but after few months TPP will prove to be 'tatsumaki" (tornado) for Abe and Abenomics.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Interesting as of all the people I know, no one opening supports him. I guess the media is bought and paid for.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Like Icarus and his golden wings, Abe and his pals will aim high, but will soon crash into the sea!

0 ( +4 / -4 )

More and more, we see references to barriers to the Japanese INSURANCE markets? Let me guess--Japan 'unfairly' forces (foreign) firms to maintain adequate funds in Japan, to cover their liabilities? I mean, really, what do insurance companies stand to gain in a country so prone to natural disaster?--unless the number-crunchers see potential to sell lots of insurance they won't ever have to pay out on?

Or is it all just basically a Trojan Hore, meant to force in the kind of financial nonsense that wiped out so much wealth, for so many Americans in 2008? Fed up with Japanese unwillingness to spend/invest outside of Japan, are they now looking to gain access to the savings/portfolios of Japanese elderly using less direct means?

In any case, ABE-san's focus on protecting Japanese agricultural interests has rightly earned him much applause; however, he should VERY careful of the US setting up agriculture to be sacrificed for unrestricted access to Japanese savings/investment accounts. THAT would ruin Japan far faster than carcinogenic crops!

ABE-san, enjoy your popularity but PLEASE dont let it get to your head: INSURANCE is being snuck in for a reason.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Wow. What a cutting edge, risk raking free thinker. He's "intending' to "join the talks" discussing whether or not they may join the TPP.

I guess for a Japanese politician, that's saying something.

But then again, it was only a couple months ago that journalists were falling all over themselves in praising Abe for his shrewd plan to print money, as if nobody ever thought of it before. Then he subsequently backed down when the big boys of the world told him it wasn't such a great idea.

What a joke.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

@hereforever

"of all the people I know, no one opening supports him. I guess the media is bought and paid for"

It means nothing unless you have like 10 million friends.

Also people who are against the TPP are more vocal than those who are for it, because this is going to affect farmers among others to the point where they might have to retire or look for other income sources, while those who would gain from the TPP would benefit but they could still maintain their current life style even without the TPP.

Also many Japanese just pretend like they agree with you if people around them are against the TPP fiercely just to avoid meaningless confrontations.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

The Asahi daily showed 65% of voters backed Abe’s cabinet, while the Yomiuri and Mainichi put his rating at 72% and 70% respectively, up between 1 and 7 points compared with previous surveys taken in February.

How many people were polled? What was the age demographic breakdown? What was the percentage of error? Knowing the context is important

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Kyle Alpert is right. US 1%ers have been trying to find a way to extract all the Japanese wealth for decades, but haven't succedded (from T. Boone Pickens in the 80s to Steal Partners now). Extract it first through the stock market, and now through insurance? I hope we keep the trade impediments as long as we can (although Reagan claimed to have removed all the impediments in SII).

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Who was polled is VERY important when talking percentages regarding support. I know there are literally hundreds if not thousands of famers down where I live that are against Abe and TPP because of fears over their potentially losing income and their livelihoods.

I'll bet none of them were asked their opinions.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Blah blah blah, negative comment, I'm a gaijin in Japan, everything about Japanese politics is terrible.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

Will be interesting to see how many areas of the market are in scope once these talks begin in earnest. there were a bunch of scare stories on the news and tiopical programmes about Japanese beef prices set against Aussie and US ones and also about veggies.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

More and more, we see references to barriers to the Japanese INSURANCE markets? Let me guess--Japan 'unfairly' forces (foreign) firms to maintain adequate funds in Japan, to cover their liabilities?

Wrong guess. It's about Japan breaking its pledge to the WTO to reform Japan Post to create a level playing field. Japan promised reform, but then rolled back the reform. Breaking promises tends to p*ss people off.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I know there are literally hundreds if not thousands of famers down where I live that are against Abe and TPP because of fears over their potentially losing income and their livelihoods... I'll bet none of them were asked their opinions.

Maybe they were asked their opinion but non-farmers, who outnumber them far more, were supportive of the TPP because they're tired of the farming lobby jacking up their prices and holding the country back. Ever thought of that?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@hereforever

I am curious where all this support is coming from too. Either people are embarrassed to admit it when I ask them (i.e. lying), or they are all out in the countryside.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I am curious where all this support is coming from too.

Playing the nationalistic card to the Japanese public ALWAYS pays dividends.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Some of these comments are hilarious and shows how out of touch some are in economics and trade... One even calls it a "tornado" as if Japan having tariff free autos shipped to the US is a bad thing? And as for the farmers who are upset, it is my understanding they get preferential treatment anyway. And as long as Japanese buy Japanese agri products they will not be effected, instead these farmers will be able to sell their goods over seas to places like the US who don't grow things like Daikon. A weakened yen will only make these products more competitive too! And for those that are scared about imported agri porducts from the US, well why should you be? Don't buy it! I have been in Japanese groceries and have seen the meat section that is imported from the US and it always looks untouched! Why are so many of you upset? If wages begin to rise, Abe will look like a hero stimulating inflation. Do you prefer to keep spending money on social programs without any revenue to pay for it? Right now Japan's debt is 45 times its tax revenue. Japanese need to spend money! Otherwise it will be just like Cyprus!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

gokai_wo_manekuMar. 19, 2013 - 10:31AM JST

Kyle Alpert is right. US 1%ers have been trying to find a way to extract all the Japanese wealth for decades, but haven't succedded (from T. Boone Pickens in the 80s to Steal Partners now). Extract it first through the stock market, and now through insurance? I hope we keep the trade impediments as long as we can (although Reagan claimed to have removed all the impediments in SII).

IS THIS A JOKE?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@DoubleHelix74 Why would that be a joke?

However, I also do not understand why farmers just assume they would lose in a TTP deal. Why do they think they cannot compete on the world market. Just to lazy? Hard to believe that because farming is hard work. Maybe a lack of imagination.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@ gokai_wo_maneku,

That is a good question... I think having their goods exposed overeas without tariffs would be a good thing...

That is why I wrote this...

And as for the farmers who are upset, it is my understanding they get preferential treatment anyway. And as long as Japanese buy Japanese agri products they will not be effected, instead these farmers will be able to sell their goods over seas to places like the US who don't grow things like Daikon.

Japan joining hte TPP and free trade agreements with EU will surely benefit Japan more so than anyone else...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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