Maehara, Kamei spar over TPP

Can't believe Maehara can say that. I also can't believe that he is protecting lousy agricultural sector by not joining TPP. It looks like political stunt.

I am in favor of TPP to make sector competitive. The agricultural and farm products in Japan are very very expensive. The pricess are rigged. For example price of one tomato is 160 Yen in Jusco. I was shocked to see that price tag. Irrespective of any natural disasters if the price of one tomato can reach 160 yen its high time to import than from out of Japan. Probably you can get dozen in 160 Yen.

Protecting agricultural sector don't help consumers from any angle.

Rob

This news is simply misreported. Maehara called those who oppose to the free trade agreement (TPP) "a monster-phobia" who are inordinately scared of TPP like a ghost or monster.

The TPP would be the be thing to happen in the Japanese economic life since the explosion of the bubble in the early 90s. It would spur growth and would help the domestic sector adjust to international competition. Everybody agrees that the agricultural sector needs to be reformed anyway (there are too many small farms owned by a single old man, consolidation is absolutely necessary through the association of small farms into commercial or cooperative entitites). The soviet-style JA and price regulations need to be abolished (do you know that a farmer is not even allowed to sell his products at any price?). With increasing competition and consolidation of domestic farms, I believe there will be a specialization:

high-quality products and local species produced domestically

mass market imported products

rice anti-competitive price-fixing will be abolished and the price of rice will decrease 50% to 90% overall (both local and foreign)

I can get a 5kg bag of Japanese rice in hawaii for $5 why does the same bag cost ¥3500 in japan, this is price rigging maybe. Half of the farmland in japan is abandon, why do the farmers not have the rights to buy more land.

Jared.

3.500Yen for 5kg you are being ripped off, most shops will sell way cheaper unless you chose a top-of-the line brand. In most shops you can get 10kg for that price.

Regulated price of rice in Japan means that the price for domestic rice is 5 times the world market price. Abandoning the socialist policies and allowing free trade of rice would mean that the local rice would probably cost 1/4 to 1/5 of the current price, and the foreign rice might even be cheaper. In times of economic stagnation, this would mean increased available income for the average japanese family.

Price might be higher.

I still pay 1.900Yen for 5kg of imported Thai-rice that is 200yen more than I pay for 5kg of Akitakomachi, Koshihikari, etc.

We usually get by with less than 10kg a month.

Maehara is an lap dog mouthpiece for the Investor class.

Name calling is a pretty juvenile tactic at this juncture, but it appeals to the under-educated and unemployed who have a lot of gripes that would like to vent.

hehehe

i guess i showed him that he ain't got no monopoly on name calling, turkey!

maehara is a tool.

@It's me

There is a 700% import tax on foreign rice, so if the import tax was reduced to a more reasonable 10%, you would pay your thai rice about 250 yen instead of 1900 yen. Concerning domestic rice, the removal of price control by government and JA (combined with increased competition) would result in a sharp decrease, probably around 300 to 500 yen for 5 kg. Japanese families would definitely appreciate this sudden increase of available income.