Anti-TPP groups, lawmakers step up pressure on Noda

What a selfish bunch, farmers represent about 1% , they have been mislead by the all powerful JA and the politicians it supports. This isn,t just about the U.S.A. ( U.S., Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam) this is about creating a free trade economic zone , free of tariffs, that will benefit all participating countries. This will lead to the consumer enjoying lower prices and a better choice. Anyway competition is healthy, and if the farmers only realised, it gives them a bigger market where they can export their so called superior products. Not surprisingly, JA and the farmers prevented quality products from Australia and New Zealand reaching their protected markets i.e.: fruit. ,now that would have really brought the prices down for the consumer. Don't back down to this pressure Mr Noda ,go ahead, you do whats right for Japan and its people, sign on to the TPP.

Poor Japanese consumers. Ready to blindly support some rich farmers. They still haven't learned that this is NOT the harmonious, WE are all Japanese society. This is protest to maintain the status quo. Opening markets will benefit consumers at the cash register. If you are NOT a farmer then this really has nothing to do with you.

It's out of some blind sense of patriotism that you would object to this.

Here's how it's going to work and I absolutely love it. If you cut us off and not open free trade back and forth, American will cut Japan off. Economic starvation as yours is a nation dependent on exports.

Personally, I actually hope you say NO to the TPP so that you be able to afford those Prada bags and those bonuses disappear. As we've seen with companies like Olympus, Japan is willing to destroy themselves before listening to reason.

The fact is that the number of Japanese farmers has decreased by 25 per cent over the past decade. Farm liberalisation is inevitable as older farmers retire. How about farmers could be protected by direct income support, like they are in the USA and Europe, rather than with price supports that punish consumers?

Japan's biggest manufacturers each sell more than Japan's entire farm sector combined. Yet without free access to American markets, such firms will struggle to remain competitive against South Korean rivals, especially with the yen climbing against the dollar. That is why John Roos, America's ambassador in Tokyo, says Japan's involvement would be a "game-changer". But it would also change Japan, and far beyond its patchwork quilt of paddies, something all prime ministers, let alone one who has been in office for just a few tenuous weeks, have found hard to do. (www.economist.com/node/21534837)

Japanese politicians need to find a backbone and move Japan forward before it is left completely behind and becomes a completely backward, inward looking country, adrift from the global community. Japan will soon be alone and without military and economic allies. Reform or start learning Chinese, you are going to need it when China comes calling by the end of the century. Japan can not survive as a nation without joining the global community.

i really want to meet all these "rich farmers" everyone keeps talking about.

Urban sprawl where rice fields and orchards once stood.

Is that prosperity?

I agree with pretty much all of the above! On a personal note, I WAS a chef but still extremely passionate about cooking (just ask my wife) and in JP struggle to keep up with trends and food fads due to a lack of new products. If this opens up the market and makes it easier for me to get my hands on veggies etc that i can't buy in KASUMI or ITOYOKADO (spew/vomit) then its a fantastic thing. In regards to Minello7, I agree if JP products are so much better than the others they should have no trouble at all making a mint out of it.

cheers

If Japan doesn't participate in TPP, the United States should encourage Japanese manufactures to increase their factory productions in the US so they can sell their products to participating countries at lower tax rates. This will stimulate job growth in the US as well.

Don't these people have jobs to do? Or did they just round up anyone, pay them a few yen and have them protest.

Greedy farmers need to stop getting the handouts they get. They also need to move forward with their farming methods and stop charging so damn much for crappy produce.

The farmers do not have jobs. That is why they were there.

And I could not believe it when I saw that cry baby Kamei on the tube last night. He should get on his tractor and go back to the 1 acre farms with his friends.

Sadly, the people who are FOR the TPP are much less likely to get out and show support like these people show opposition, so it makes it seem rather one sided. We have a bunch of farmers who cannot adapt and/or change for the better in order to be competitive and who insist on jacked up prices for goods that may or may not be superior (or irradiated for that matter!). As for Kamei, the guy's an idiot who has walked out on his position at least once, and twice, I think, and has been wrapped up in a number of scandals.

If Japan is truly for its farmers and its people it will join the TPP and allow the 99% of people who are not farmers to choose from a variety of goods. As well, it will allow farmers to become more competitive. Besides, as everyone here knows, most Japanese prefer Japanese goods, and that's not going to change if imports become cheaper. What's more, Japanese goods will become more available in other nations, meaning the farmers may not suffer so badly after all.

Finally, the Japanese government needs to help its farmers more NOT by keeping to the current protectionism, but by proving more subsidies and opening up more land for farming instead of unnecessary structures and selling it off for strip malls. They need to create programs that will get more young people sticking around in or moving to rural areas for agriculture.

Avoiding the TPP now, when it will only come up again in the future after Japan has once again been left behind, is not doing the nation any favours... save for lining the pockets of a few lawmakers and farmers.

The TPP issues are much larger than merely connected to Farmers/Agriculture. They cover a broad range of subjects which will tear a country's very fabric. One example will be the entrance of multinational pharmaceutical countries and health insurance companies . For Japan this will be a major impact as they will try to change the Health Insurance policies and poses serous consequences. There are many groups in Australia up in arms against TPP and movement will get stronger. The TPP Agreements and the fine print is not widely known to the people and there are clauses that once a country agrees to join, there are many stringent conditions. The media is doing a lousy job in researching TPP and focusing only on agricultural interests in Japan and misleading the people.

Kamei warned against making a hasty decison and said Noda has to consider the current economic climate.

Yes, a hasty 'No' will hurt the current economic climate.

Ha ha, he warns of a hasty decision. But what he really means is keep putting of a 'Yes' decision until everybody forgets about it. Ingenious. ****

Not sure about the rest of you, but I like food. And in particular, food stability.

Sure it's nice to get mangos from Mexico in the winter, but if the bulk of your consumption is grown halfway round the world and then shipped here on freight liners, ... well that's just not environmentally stable. And what happens in a year like this when 20% of Thailand is flooded, and rice production is drastically reduced? Will the rich countries be unable to get export? No. The poor locals will suffer.

Eating locally is a good thing - at least for the large part. Japanese rice farmers are NOT rich. Jeebus, Mary, and Joseph! spend some time in a farm house or working a field!

" LDP Vice President Tadanori Oshima said that if the government cannot explain clearly to the public how Japan will benefit from joining the TPP, it should give up the idea."

If Noda puts Japan's best interests ahead of his party's politics, he should do just that. Give a frank, sober address to the Japanese people about how business as usual in Japan must change and finally move forward. I predict that 38.7/ 36.1 ratio would tilt more towards support.

@jazz350, good point. however.... on the Ag. side, Typical J business mind-set, protect your 1% rather than risk it for the chance of gaining a portion of the 99%. If your product is so good (Japanese rice is fantastic) then why not compete in the open market? Two words: Risk Aversion.

And PS: For those wondering why the farmers are available for protest on a weekday: 1) Farmers don't have a Monday-Friday, 9-5 (or to11) job. They work when the sun shines and the weather holds. 2) Seeding and harvest are the businest times of year. And the rice harvest should be about done for this year.

I'm not necessarily opposed to the TPP. I just am really annoyed at the rude comments being thrown around here by the ignorant.

After all these years, did NAFTA help the US economy? Or didi it hurt it? Can't the TPP be the same?

After all these years, did NAFTA help the US economy?

NAFTA helped all the economies involved, not just the US economy. That's the whole idea about TPP: everybody wins. Japan's farming industry will win by becoming more efficient. Long overdue.

America is now and has been the "Goat""as far as NAFTA is concerned and i wish this new boondoggle would be torpedoed!

I think taking part in the negotiations is not so bad, but Noda should consider carefully about deals of TPP. It is a problem only not for famers. If TPP actually diminished all tariff, it was possible that a lot of companies move their factories to countries where wage is much cheaper than Japan and the USA. Japan and the USA have already suffered from increasing unemployment rate. It does not seem good deal even for the USA. Noda as well as Obama appeals to citizen to support this deal, but considering their own workers, some tariff is still necessary. Noda should not jump to conclusion.

IMO, competitions without any tariff among countries which have different value of money, natural resources, amount of available land, and climate conditions are not always fair.

CrazyJoe According to Mexico, incursion of a great amount of products and crops from the USA puts much burden on domestic industry and famers. Not everybody wins.

i for one really don't see much benefit in free trade besides cheaper products. the world is turning into one big wal-mart, and i think it sucks. yeah, food prices are sky high in japan but you get locally grown producst that aren't shipped thousands of miles away. food tastes much better when it's locally grown and shipped.

and rich farmers? do you think they all have mercedes and ferarris parked on their farms? puh-lease!

People seem to forget that throughout history, there is a reason for tariffs by each countries. As nation, there is nothing wrong with protecting certain parts of your industry.

This is why I prefer the bilateral FTA as opposed this BS kumbaya because those two nations can clearly iron out what sections they can give and what sectors they cannot concede. Step by step give and take.

I believe J government has enough info to list all the pros and cons in details and figure out what is best for this country in the long run , not just for the good of a small number of people, but one the other hand , minority does not deserve to suffer and being ignored, so their interest must be taken into account with compromise. I do hope the politicians have sufficient wisdom to lead this country .

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, also known as the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement or TPP agreement is a multilateral free trade agreement that aims to integrate the economies of the Asia-Pacific region. The original agreement between the countries of Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore was signed on June 3, 2005, and entered into force on May 28, 2006. Five additional countries, including Australia, Malaysia, Peru, United States, and Vietnam, are currently negotiating to join the group.

As this notes, originally TPP was a fairly small-scale agreement between four Pacific countries; but the US obviously saw this as cunning way to circumvent the inconveniently reasonable WIPO by inserting an extremely aggressive chapter dealing with intellectual monopolies into the broader Pacific free trade agreement. Scource, Glyn Moody "Open Enterprise "

When you read what the USA intends to implement in the TPP agreements, it is very scary. This is just not about farming in Japan but will affect the medical industry, patents, health system and much more. America has just pushed it's way in and now wants to control everything just like everything else in the world.

Keep the TPP between the original members including Australia, Malaysia, Peru, Vietnam and it will be a good for Japan. Keep USA out of it.

VicM

I wouldn't classify TPP to be that much of a predatory nature but one point that needs to be readdressed is the fact that Japan already has FTA with 6 of the 9 participating nations with the seventh under negotiations. (Australia)

Barthalomew Harte, WHat do you mean by "America is now and has been the "Goat""? I think you must be using goat in a way that I'm unfamiliar with. When I think about goats I think, "eats everything in sight, making a mess, without restraint." I suspect you had something different in mind, although Canada and Mexico might both agree with that goat reference.

The "second country opening" as Prime Minister Kan has explained, as Japan's economy and society have matured, it has become inward-looking. Japan should join the TPP in order to arrest this process and promote active advancement overseas.

However, Shizuka Kamei, leader of the People’s New Party, the DPJ’s coalition partner, on Tuesday strongly urged Noda not to promise Japan’s participation in the TPP trade talks when he attends the APEC summit in Hawaii next weekend

If Kamei is against it, it must be a good idea. His middle names are "No Change" and "Special Interests".

Gee herefornow. Isn't that a definition of a conservative?

The guy wants to eliminate the death penalty, increase defense spending, agrees to subsidize NK schools, open a casino, etc.

Those are changes. But then again, I can see you arguing that those are "special interests"

Did anybody see Kamei on the news last night? Who dresses that bloke? He looked like he'd just woken up in a hedge.

1

2020hindsightsNov. 09, 2011 - 09:55AM JST

After all these years, did NAFTA help the US economy?

NAFTA helped all the economies involved, not just the US economy. That's the whole idea about TPP: everybody wins. Japan's farming industry will win by becoming more efficient. Long overdue.

Not exactly, many auto manufacturing jobs went to Tronto Canada and Tijuana, Mexico. One out of 7 Americans used to have a job associated with Auto Industry. What is US unemployment rate today? It has been over 9%. There has been many pro/con talks about NAFTA among economists and politicians.

If you cut us off and not open free trade back and forth, American will cut Japan off.

NetNinja, that is exactly what had happend before Japan got involved with the WWII.

My parents taught me a golden rule when I was growing up. If I want to keep good life time friends, leave money issue aside and alone. Do not mix apple butter with s.....t. I am glad I did.

Is that prosperity?

Are you talking about US? We sure are not doing a good job for sharing prosperity. Only a 1% of US riches owns prosperity. At least, all Japanese have a National Health and a National Long Term cares while many US do not..

Not exactly, many auto manufacturing jobs went to Tronto Canada and Tijuana, Mexico.

Benefit.

What is US unemployment rate today? It has been over 9%.

Not related to NAFTA.

Benefit.

Please show me the beef.

Not related to NAFTA.

You tell me why Michigan has been advocating against NAFTA?

TPP is an idiotic idea for a number of reasons.

1 GMO food is prohibited in Japan like most countries in the world unlike USA where they don't even require to label their products! That's right. The average ignorant American consumer is stuffing themselves with GMO food on a daily basis without they even knowing about it. Japan can do fine without infested American food.

Japan has much stricter guidelines to chemcals than USA. USA with it's highly cynical GMO policies is notorious for their use of chemicals sprayed on their crops.

Instead of asking Japan to lower it's standards USA needs to raise their standard to Japanese levels. Letting giants like Monsato into Japan or infesting Japanese supermarkets with GMO fruits and vegetables is possibly one of the most idiotic ideas in modern day history.

U.S. employment increased over the period of 1993-2007 from 110.8 million people to 137.6 million people. Specifically within NAFTA's first five years of existence, 709,988 jobs (140,000 annually), were created domestically. had there been any negative impact on the labor force because of NAFTA, it would have been seen in the initial years. The rate of job loss due to plant closings, a typical argument against NAFTA, showed little deviation from previous periods before NAFTA. The percentage of workers in the manufacturing industry with job loss actually decreased from 13.8 % in 1991-1993, pre-NAFTA years, to 11.8% in the years from 1993-1995. Also, US industrial production, in which manufacturing makes up 78%, saw an increase of 49% from 1993-2005. The period prior to NAFTA, 1982-1993, only saw a 28% increase. (Hufbauer, Gary C., and Jeffrey J. Scott. NAFTA Revisited: Achievements and Challenges. Washington, DC: Institute for International Economics, 2005.)

The Japanese farmers should stop protesting, go sell their land and get richer. Why bother farming? It's too much work.

The TPP issues are much larger than merely connected to Farmers/Agriculture. They cover a broad range of subjects which will tear a country's very fabric. One example will be the entrance of multinational pharmaceutical countries and health insurance companies . For Japan this will be a major impact as they will try to change the Health Insurance policies and poses serous consequences.

This is a good point, but I think you've been snowed by big jpharma, Jazz. Jpharma has two stated objections:

1) There will be an influx of dangerous foreign drugs.

2) Japan will lose its national health care scheme.

Objection 1 is typical protectionist claptrap. Objection 2 is also dubious, since Japan is still able to set rules for its domestic health system, provided that the rules apply equally.

These objections are an attempt to stir up opposition among medical professionals and the general public. In fact, jpharma does not want to compete and lose its cushy position. Hospitals are losing money and there is a shortage of OB-GYN specialists. But the one part of the health care industry that's doing great is pharmaceuticals. When basic meds like antibiotics cost more than an MRI, something is not adding up. Japan has essentially outsourced the profitable part of health care to jpharma.

There is one valid concern about drugs under TPP. Apparently, the agreement may change the rules for collective bargaining of meds. That is, smart countries (Canada, Australia) use the huge buying power of the public health care system to negotiate lower prices on meds. There was some objection in Australia that the TPP, which calls on drugs to be purchased at market prices, would undermine this cost-saving feature to the benefit of international pharma.

Anyway, this is what I took away from a quick survey after a doctor friend told me he was worried the TPP would cause Japan's health care system to crumble.

The argument from the farmers is a mix of protectionism and legitimate concern over national food security, especially now that the world has entered into what the UN World Food Program calls a "post food surplus era." The farmers care about keeping their protected market. The government reps care about keeping the farm vote, as well as holding off any more decreases in food self-sufficiency.

Not a black and white issue, although I tend to favor free trade agreements.

@Dotoblock

Well, I like my food without radiation and I'm pretty sure American food is a lot safer than Japanese. If don't believe me just go down to your local supermarket and see what they are buying.

You don't think Japan does Genetically Modified Food?? You need to do some research. Why don't you go down to some of those super expensive fruit stores in Shinjuku. Nature is beautiful but she doesn't make everything perfect like that.

Furthermore, I don't think you've been to the U.S. I'm appalled to think that after all the help we've provided to Japan, our Tomodachi, that you would think we would sell you some crap.

That's okay though. I know you're just talking. I'm sure you have a Costco card in your pocket right now. Ever been to McDonalds? Ever eat one of those Costco hotdogs? I got news for you. You've already eaten worse than GM.

Don't try to say that the U.S. mislabels and doesn't inform customers if it's GM or not. We know. We put good labels on our food..

Infested? Our food isn't infested. That's a word for "Aliens". It's obvious to me you've got to worry about your xenophobia more than an infested apple.

P.S: I'll take an infested apple over a radiated apple any day of the week.

@ DotoBock

Let me emphasise that Japan is not among the GM crop cultivating countries. But Japan is a great importer of GM crops; in average, people in Japan are eating GM food the most in East Asia, followed by South Korea, and Taiwan. This is due to the low self-sufficiency ratios and the increase of GM crop farming in certain exporting countries. In addition, the Japanese food labelling system is so partial and confusing that consumers are not able to make a choice. the limit in Japan is 5%. For example, when we import soybeans from the United States, they may be contaminated by 1% of GM soybeans without any labelling requirements. The same product sold in Japan would be labelled as non-GM while in Europe, it would be labelled as a GM food. (www.nishoren.org)

Dotobock

GMO food is prohibited in Japan like most countries in the world unlike USA where they don't even require to label their products!

Actually that is incorrect, one example is Papaya's since 2010 Japan has allowed the sale of GM Papaya's in Japan furthermore food that contain less than 5% GM product are allowed and do not have to be labelled as containing GM products. So maybe you need to check your facts a bit better before singing your countries praises because either you have been misinformed or are gaulible.

That's right. The average ignorant American consumer is stuffing themselves with GMO food on a daily basis without they even knowing about it.

Sounds like the average ignorant Japanese consumer is also stuffing themselves with GM food as well but just dont realise it. Happy eating!!!

Japan can do fine without infested American food.

Yeah would actually hate to introduce some real food to the country and realise what you have been missing out on all these years hey.

Japan has much stricter guidelines to chemcals than USA. USA with it's highly cynical GMO policies is notorious for their use of chemicals sprayed on their crops.

Wow Japan and strict guidelines - that there is an oxymoron.... Japan and radiated food that is still sold to consumers, Japan and mercury laced fish and whale that is still sold to consumers now that reality. I would and do prefer to eat imported food from the US and Australia of the contaminated foods in this country at least their foods dont glow in the dark.

Instead of asking Japan to lower it's standards USA needs to raise their standard to Japanese levels. Letting giants like Monsato into Japan or infesting Japanese supermarkets with GMO fruits and vegetables is possibly one of the most idiotic ideas in modern day history.

Its funny you say that as in reality Japans labelling requirements for GM foods is much much more lax than the EU. For example Japan doesnt require traceability the EU does, Japan doesnt include GM seeds on labels, the EU does. Japan doesnt include food sold in restraunts on GM lists, the EU does. So who is more strict, not Japan thats for sure. But hey who is happy feeding radioactively contaminated food to their public, who is happy relabelling contaminated food/ Oh that would be Japan.

The Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives has campaigned vigorously against participation, saying a deal would reduce food security in a country where farmers—especially of rice—enjoy generous government protection, at the cost of high prices for consumers.

BINGO!!!!!!! At least these farmer-theives are telling the truth. huh. ..lol

DoToBook

You are really off base dude. You're, like, totally out there. Not sure what you are thinking but one things for sure. You don't know what 's good for you or your country.

Nobody from America is trying to rip you off. Seriously. America was totally there for you in your time of need.

My impression is this:Japanese are scared of a little competition. I'm guessing that you'll think your Japanese products will lose ground if you open you're markets.

The mistake is this. You think this will hurt you and it might for a while but it's going to make you better and stronger. Dude, think like this, alright. The Olympics is competition. You know that the competition is good. If you rise up to that challenge you'll have to find it in yourself to be better, do better. It's the same. Believe or not everybody wins.

Japan's business model is to control the game all the time. It's not true capitalism and definitely not a free market.

Here's another example. Toyota has Hybrids. Ford has Hybrids too. If Toyota's Prius is so superior then who cares if Ford brings their Escape Hybrid here (Ford isn't allowed to sell it Hybrid here). If you really believe that Japanese are all patriots and will look down on any American product then open the doors.

The truth is your scared. Listen, America is your ally. You got an Ace for a friend. We aren't trying to squeeze you. We can't afford to let you fall down. We are there for you. We Americans with our lives put ourselves in harms way to ensure your security. This is a lesson in capitalism your universities never taught you.

Stop hating on the U.S, when you are buying pizzas from Costco. I see those big ol pizzas boxes in the trash everywhere. Japanese want to stop price fixing and save a little more money for their children and their grand-children.

Get real dude

Japan does not allow GMO food. It does not produce it either. But they allow GMO in some products such as oil or for the pharmacy industry. If you look at natto or tofu packages you will see that it says Hiidenshikumikae in kanji. As I work in the tofu industry I know from first hand experience that Japan does not use GMO and it is a great concern among Japanese manufacturers of the GMO trend in USA. Americans need to raise their level which is way below international standards if they are interested in selling their products to Japan.

You work in the Tofu industry you say?

Well, this TPP thing can help you. Californians and New Yorkers love Tofu. Get your products in the United States and help those people lose weight. Eating Tofu is healthy, you know that. TPP can help your company get your product on American supermarket shelves.

If your Tofu is really really good then you have nothing to worry about. You might even get some of the materials you need to make your product a little bit cheaper. Don't tell me that your company does want to save money and increase production at the same time.

"Why bother farming? It's too much work."

good question. but what about the people who rely on the produce?

Living on this island, nation, do all of you really want to be completely reliant on imports for food? Do we want to put all of our trust in Chinese and Thai for the basic staple? (US will also be too expensive). Do we really want to set ourselves up for such a simple seige / blockade? Do we really want to mess with something as basic as food security?

Yes the TPP is about a lot of things and I'm willing to look at the whole, but I would like for people in this discussio nwho say things like "just sell off the farm land and grow all the food somewhere cheaper" to actually think about what that means.

While I agree with the fact that Japan , given its current economic slowdown and the factors causing it, will mostly profit from joining the TPP,and the farmers will have to and actually can adapt, especially with the voices for food safety all over the world getting stronger and stronger, and many US-based "green" sites criticizing its own food for being dangerous for many reasons, I also agree that to some extent there is a pressure from the US in order to ensure markets for its products and to liven up its economy. I also think that it is good for Japan to join the TPP while keeping its high food safety standards.

Dotobock

Japan does not allow GMO food.

Sorry Dotobock but you are incorrect. Japan does allow GM food into the country and a quick google search will enlighten you to that fact.

For example GM Papaya is allowed to be sold in Japan as a whole fruit, 68.7% of the Maize imported from US is GM produced, 64.5% of the Soybean imported from the US is GM produced, 68.5% of the canola from Canada is GM produced, and 81.7 % of the cotton from Australia is GM produced.

Also as mentioned earlier Japans rules on labeling what products contain GM food is much more lax than even the EU. Again a quick google search will show you that too. But as you havnt done that here are some examples. In Japan if the DNA of the food is not detected then it is not required to label GM products (eg cooking oil and soy sauce). In EU all ingredients are identified. In Japan only the top three ingredients containing more than 5% GM product have to be labelled, in the EU ALL GM ingredients over 0.9% must be labelled. In Japan it is forbidden to label something under 5% GM ingredients as having GM in it, in the EU its 0.9%. And also in Japan anything sold in a restauraunt or food service industry does not need to be labelled GM regardless of level, in the EU any food regardless must be labelled.

So basically you are consuming GM products already it just doesnt have to be labelled.

It does not produce it either.

You sure about that, here is a quote for you to consider "Japan has approved 44 GM crops for food use, including 15 canola varieties, 12 corn, 7 cotton, 5 potato, 4 soybean, and 1 sugarbeet." this little quote is from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries

Sorry but your claims are completely false and misleading

@NetNinja

Poor Japanese consumers. Ready to blindly support some rich farmers. They still haven't learned that this is NOT the harmonious, WE are all Japanese society. This is protest to maintain the status quo. Opening markets will benefit consumers at the cash register. If you are NOT a farmer then this really has nothing to do with you.

It's out of some blind sense of patriotism that you would object to this.

Here's how it's going to work and I absolutely love it. If you cut us off and not open free trade back and forth, American will cut Japan off. Economic starvation as yours is a nation dependent on exports.

Personally, I actually hope you say NO to the TPP so that you be able to afford those Prada bags and those bonuses disappear. As we've seen with companies like Olympus, Japan is willing to destroy themselves before listening to reason.

My husband, who works for the American company "Texas Instruments" for 17 years now, earns about the same (if not higher) as your average government employee...with full benefits, pension, everything...yet WE have always live poor and humble. I do NOT waste our hard-earned money. I rarely buy something that may seem luxurious and you know what? the only thing that I have that might count as something luxurious is my car!! Mazda RX-8, which I'm about to give up and stay with my jitensha. There was a time when I felt like a deity driving the car of my dreams, but that time is fading away fast.. Besides, who the hell wants to keep paying 40,000 yen in road tax and 200,000 yen(my tires are 20,000 each one!) in shaken? Not me, not anymore! Husband also supports me to get rid of my car, it consumes too much oil, gas and MONEY! It's hell really.

Besides that car I have nothing else expensive. NOTHING. I never had anything expensive before. I work very hard like buy that car. I saved for long time until I bought it but now I am sure it is not worth it.

We do not buy Prada bags in here or something like that. I can assure you. We prefer to buy nice cuts of beef and chicken and eat good steak at least once a week. We spend really wisely and what's left goes to the saving account.

Not all Japanese are like that. There are some people like me that live like "poor" and rarely spend money. It's NOT about being hard-u p either, but when something really bad happens, better to have some cash saved up than nothing, right? and here I am, eating a CupRamen for lunch at 3:55pm when I know I could be eating better, but I often think about those children and babies starving in those countries and I feel so depressed that I can barely eat. I have a huge fasting problem, but that's a story for another thread. Sorry.

Still, I wish that we could be able to have a lot more products, fruits, vegetables, more variety and price ranges. But I don't know if this corrupted/archaic/ice-age government can really get out of the dark ages and actually help the people of this country, rather than getting richer themselves by stealing OUR tax-money. Fat and rich smegma.

I fee bad because I wish tomatoes were cheaper as well as apples, I love both, a lot.

It would be nice if they sign but if they don't....screw them...this country will get what they deserve. period.

The original agreement between the countries of Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore was signed on June 3, 2005, and entered into force on May 28, 2006.

Now, I want to ask people, as these 4 countries were the first to instigate TPP, why all of a sudden does the USA have to start making all the rules ? I am all for the trade agreement but not if USA takes over everything and forces their rules on to the other countries just to benefit themselves.

NetNinja says--- You don't think Japan does Genetically Modified Food?? You need to do some research. Why don't you go down to some of those super expensive fruit stores in Shinjuku. Nature is beautiful but she doesn't make everything perfect like that.

Japan's perfect fruits are not GM modified but are produced through grafting and natural cross breeding. To produce GM modified foods, they use a special gun that fires selected genetic materials in to the products that they want to modify.

You say (Ford isn't allowed to sell it Hybrid here). If they can't sell their cars here then it obviously doesn't comply to Japanese standards for some reason. Europe does not seem to have much problems selling their cars over here. Benz, VW, Audi etc. You can import any car to Japan if it complies.

@VicMOsaka

The original agreement between the countries of Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore was signed on June 3, 2005, and entered into force on May 28, 2006.

Now, I want to ask people, as these 4 countries were the first to instigate TPP, why all of a sudden does the USA have to start making all the rules ? I am all for the trade agreement but not if USA takes over everything and forces their rules on to the other countries just to benefit themselves.

You make very good points, my friend, but I have to admit I am a bit confused by all this..I don't have enough information about what or who controls the TPP. Does the U.S. alone controls it? or is it collectively between those countries participating?

Feel free to educate me, please.. Nicky, Cleo, anyone?

Cut the about $49bln yearly subsidies to bureaucratic agriculture interests, give about $10bln direct subsidies to full time farmers with conditions of reforms & consolidation among themselves within certain timeline. Japanese produces are high quality, just without sufficient scale and efficiency. Farmers will be happier and more motivated.

@notatall

I believe J government has enough info to list all the pros and cons in details and figure out what is best for this country in the long run , not just for the good of a small number of people, but one the other hand , minority does not deserve to suffer and being ignored, so their interest must be taken into account with compromise. I do hope the politicians have sufficient wisdom to lead this country .

With all due respect, I think that is nearly impossible. There is too much CORRUPTION going on in this shameless goverment. They spend more time lining their pockets, getting fatter and richer than helping the common folk. Sad but true.

Only America grows the Japonica style rice so loved by the Japanese

Australia too.

Nessie,

Australia rice is closest to Japanese rice. A very good rice.

BlueWitch,

If you have time, do a check on Google. I thought this whole TPP thing was just about food, but it is much more far reaching and it seems that it all has to align with what USA says. I know this has been mentioned many times, but consider Monsanto's agenda, the banning of popular health suppliments, the assault against raw milk sellers in USA and so many other government crimes against the USA citizens. I just don't want to see Japan being bossed around.

As for corruption in governments, it is not just Japan.

U.S. employment increased over the period of 1993-2007 from 110.8 million people to 137.6 million people. Specifically within NAFTA's first five years of existence, 709,988 jobs (140,000 annually), were created domestically. had there been any negative impact on the labor force because of NAFTA, it would have been seen in the initial years. The rate of job loss due to plant closings, a typical argument against NAFTA, showed little deviation from previous periods before NAFTA. The percentage of workers in the manufacturing industry with job loss actually decreased from 13.8 % in 1991-1993, pre-NAFTA years, to 11.8% in the years from 1993-1995. Also, US industrial production, in which manufacturing makes up 78%, saw an increase of 49% from 1993-2005. The period prior to NAFTA, 1982-1993, only saw a 28% increase. (Hufbauer, Gary C., and Jeffrey J. Scott. NAFTA Revisited: Achievements and Challenges. Washington, DC: Institute for International Economics, 2005.)

Tyler VandenbergNov. 09, 2011 - 02:13PM JST

The most recent economic study done by Economic Policy Institute has a different view on NAFTA. There have been many discussions among policy makers including Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio along with other states listed above, to evaluate if the NAFA is really helping US Economy. As I stated previously, before the NAFTA, one out of 7 Americans had a job associated with US Auto Industry, now so many of them are still unemployed. FYI

Please read the following post.

Since labor is cheaper in Mexico, many manufacturing industries moved part of their production from high-cost U.S. states. Between 1994 and 2010, the U.S. trade deficits with Mexico totaled $97.2 billion, displacing 682,900 U.S. jobs. (However, 116,400 occurred after 2007, and could have been a result of the financial crisis.) Nearly 80% of the losses were in manufacturing. California, New York, Michigan and Texas were hit the hardest because they had high concentrations of the industries that moved plants to Mexico. These industries included motor vehicles, textiles, computers, and electrical appliances. (Source: Economic Policy Institute, "The High Cost of Free Trade," May 3, 2011)

NO to TPP. Asian countries will stand and progress. As predicted, USA will depend on asian countries in the nearest future.

Now Mr Noda knows he has just kicked off a nest of killer bees! His days in charge of the nation is numbered!

Huh... I had thought that the US automakers were the biggest opponents to theis TPP since it would likely make it easier for the Asian automakers to better increase their market share in the US as opposed to vice-versa. Additionally, it would be easier for Toyota to export their Kentucky made cars back into Japan and China and Australia, etc.

@DotoBock

There are many battles that people try to win. I prefer to win the war.

DotobockNov. 09, 2011 - 02:09PM JST

TPP is an idiotic idea for a number of reasons.

1 GMO food is prohibited in Japan like most countries in the world

I thought it would be best if I did a little research beyond just knowing that you were wrong. I found a good source and hopefully you'll have a look. It's not the information you want to see. Just the facts.

I'm going to keep this post brief by just pointing out the most significant reference points to read. First here's the link. http://www.nishoren.org/en/?p=150

Next here's the points that I think you should consider.

Japan is not cultivating GM crops, but is a great importer of GM crops. Japan’s GM labelling system is tricky.

Number 3 and 4 are on the linked page above. It's something to think about.

Spidapig24 was correct all along.

OH and here's the kicker. Japan is far behind the U.S in GM technology and that is most likely the real reason why you have farmers opposing it. Japan wants to do it and get their products on shelves.

The Japanese GM crop development has almost completely failed.

So far in Japan there have been hundreds or even thousands of different GM varieties developed by the agricultural research institutes of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and by different institutions, universities and private enterprises. Their focus has been on GM rice, but there is not a single case where a product has reached the market. Presently, the only remaining GM crop being developed is a rice variety supposedly carrying a trait to make it suitable for people with certain cedar pollen allergies (hay fever), but even this does not appear to be successful. Not only are GM foods rejected by consumers, but the bigger issue is that it seems impossible to develop GM crops that can in fact be marketed. This is basically because manipulating life forms is not that simple.

If you want in on some of that money, you should work for an International company that is developing GM products. When Japan signs off on the TPP you'll be a rich man.