Japan, U.S. to lead economic rule-making under TPP: Abe

“Rules should not be something that are imposed on you—you make them,”

then

“enthusiastically welcome” South Korea and Indonesia, which have signaled interest in joining, into the zone, so long as they “accept the rules”

Uhm.....Can they at least let the other TPP members take part in the rule-making?

“Rules should not be something that are imposed on you—you make them,” Abe told an economic forum in Tokyo.

Loooolll The irony here. Abe-kun, you really have it nailed.

And the rule Abe favours is: free trade for any globally competitive corporation but not for uncompetitive special interests which support his party through the vote-rigged electoral system or globally competitive corporations which provide lucrative post-retirement jobs to bureaucrats who tend to the laughable regulatory architecture.

"Rules should not be something that are imposed on you—you make them,”

That's why he's treating the constitution like a dirty dish rag.

"Japan, U.S. to lead economic rule-making under TPP"

It's Dumb & Dumber, it's the blind leading the blind, it's the worst buddy cop movie of all time!

All us consumers are doooooooomed!

Korea will thrash Japan in cutting TPP deals... Korea actually has cojones

“Rules should not be something that are imposed on you—you make them,” Abe told an economic forum in Tokyo. “The TPP is the structure where Japan and the US can lead in economic rule-making.”

Still trying to get my head around this convoluted sentence. Rules are not imposed on us but we have to make the rules to impose on others so we don't get rules imposed upon us to make rules, which means we have been imposed upon to make the rules to impose on others.......and around it goes.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday hailed a huge Pacific Rim free-trade deal, saying it showcased a bid by Japan and the United States to set rules for the global economy.

Actually, even before TPP has even been approved, many countries around the world already see it as a blueprint for what not to accept in any future trade agreements.

For example, the ISDS system (Investor State Dispute Settlement), which the US insisted on in TPP and allows companies to sue countries in private courts if new laws affect their profits, has been thoroughly rejected by Europe in the US-EU trade agreement (TTIP) negotiations. The global attitude on the acceptability of ISDS has completely shifted as a result and it may turn out that the TPP members will be the only trading bloc that allows corporations to have such power over their countries.

I think the other participating countries will have something to say about whose rules will make the rules. This thing is far from over. As a matter of fact, it's not even a done deal, yet. Canada's new PM and his cabinet will have something to say about it, without doubt, as will the others. Blinders, anyone???

The arrogance of Abe knows no bounds. This is a man who constantly refers to himself in third person, as well as talking up his dud "Abenomics" policies like a used car salesman. If you wanted a bilateral trade deal with the US, you should have signed THAT. There are 12 nations in this TPP already - time someone told this arrogant old man.

“I would like the Chinese government to steadily implement structural reforms while ensuring transparency,” Abe said of Japan’s giant neighbor and world’s second-largest economy.

so he know those things well, now he want others to do it, but he never do them for the failed abenomics, especially the badly needed structural reforms. lots of good quotes this morning.

Gods help us if Abe is helping run the show! Is his goal to ruin the rest of the world so that Abenomics looks a little better?

The TPP is the structure where Japan and the US can lead in economic rule-making

The US has learned from Lao Tzu:

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves

I saw President Obama`s comments where he said that the U.S. would be writing the rules but I did not see anywhere that he said that Japan would be helping. Poor Abe, he wants so hard to believe that Japan is an equal partner with the U.S.

The rules have been made only by the US. Abe agreed with the US as usual. He always agrees with the US. No surprise. This deal will destroy Japan economy Only my two cents.

Japan is about a generation too late if it wants to drive the bus. To wit, back in the late 1980s and early 1990s Japan was basically gifted the opportunity to dictate the frameworks by which ISO procedures would be defined. However, they didn't want to know and the Europeans picked up the slack.

Fast forward to the present day and you have buffoons like Abe grandstanding like this. I response to such grandious claims, my first question would be "what can Japan offer"? What we are talking about is a nation state that has huge underlying structural problems that nobody seems willing to recognize, let alone address. As such, Japan proposing to led the formulation of rules rings extremely hollow. Moreover, you have to remember than Japan is a latecomer to the TPP. Indeed, despite the whole structure being based on the work of Okita and Crawford more than a generation ago, Tokyo has not really pushed the agenda overtime. Rather, there is a sense of it being dragged kicking and screaming into this at the last moment. Furthermore, having "America and Japan" dictate terms sounds omnious for the other players. If Japan soft-peddles auto parts, will the US soft-peddle market access for agriculture to the Japanese market? It has happened before and it might well happen again.

"Rules should not be something that are imposed on you—you make them"

Might makes right? I'm sure the Imperial Forces thought too.

If Marie Antoinette were here now, she would exclaim, "Let them all eat Butter!"

It isn't like Japanese economy isn't already going south as it is

@ Harvey, you nailed it!