Obama, Abe firm on N Korea; no decision on TPP

Okay Abe, step down now please. You have your "photo op", now let someone with a progressive brain come and lead your country. This is the 4th Prime minister Obama has meet in 5 years, seriously?

Abe gets cold shoulder, No. 1 priority for Obama is nothing but Economy.

Awsome! Totally Awesome!!! Folks your looking at the 2 Greatest Leaders on this Planet Earth. The United States stands STRONG with JAPAN and Defiant against Communist Aggression. God Bless Freedom. God Bless DEMOCRACY and God Bless President Obama & Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

@some14some

"No. 1 priority for Obama is nothing but Economy."

Then the relation between the US and Japan is as important. Did you know that Japan are the US are important trade partners ? The TPP is an important topic to discuss that would affect both countries.

“As the final outcome will be determined during the negotiations, it is not required to make a prior commitment to unilaterally eliminate all tariffs upon joining the TPP negotiations,” it said.

If I'm not mistaken, that was the goal of Abe to convince the opposition (inside the LDP) in order to pave way for Japan to officially join the TPP negotiations.

“You can rest assured that you will have a strong partner in the United States throughout your tenure,” Obama told Abe-

That will be until the summer elections. I lost count on how many Japanese PM's met Obama since he has been in power??

What a cute picture

Obama got his fake smile down to a tee.

It is not a concern of mine about the relationship that Japan and North Korea have. My concern is that they are doing things with nuclear testing that have a purpose for them. What that purpose is, unknown. The tightening of access to the financial world and much harder trading restrictions should be done, regardless of the Japan North Korea relationship and O-bum-a is not the person to trust to keep the job done.

Did you know that Japan are the US are important trade partners ?

Yeah Japan takes Chinese lent money from the U.S. USA doesn't gain much from JPN in trade terms, not while JPN won't open up it's agricultural markets. Protectionism is JPNs only hope.

This is one dysfunctional alliance.

Abe got what he needed on TPP. Although some tariffs will remain on imported rice, eventually I will be able to buy cheaper foreign rice at Aeon.

Abe is right. He said during the press conference firmly that the problem with China must be solved by the based on laws not by force. He is not trying to be above the law.

“You can rest assured that you will have a strong partner in the United States throughout your tenure,” Obama told Abe in the Oval Office,

LOL. Obama knows full well that Abe's "tenure" will likely be measured in months rather than years, so he is not committing to a lot. Good to know Obama still has a sense of humor. Wonder if Abe got the joke?

Compared with China's leaders visits to Washington, No Red Carpet, No 21 Gun Salute. Oh, I guess Abe's Japan is not that important. And Abe gets nothing extra from Obama regarding the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Abe, take the next flight back!

Why Abe looks not as happy as Obama? Obama is happy because it's confirmed the US is master to JP. Abe is not happy,and has to simper, because his master didn't promise something he really want.

Did Abe get 19-gun salute then? That's what Cameron got.

I am pretty sure not everyone who disagrees with Abe's rhetoric is spreading Chinese propaganda. Many Americans don't want to be dragged into any unnecessary conflict. If US goes to war over a stupid island, many will blame the US government, Japan and China equally. But you can't fix stupid, and these so-called leaders, elected or not, never seem to be that bright. Maybe what the world really needs is a benevolent dictator that rules over the whole planet. Problem solved.

Global

Abe was a PM the fore he deserved to get 19 gun salutes. If he did not, Washington assumed that he will not last long as first term. By the way, are Chinese from Sanfransisco can be called as Chinamen if they said something bad about Japan? As far as they are bashing China, they are American. If not they have to be deported.

Sorry! Abe is still PM and he was a PM from 2006 to 2007 before.

Just one question, and I'm not trying to be facetious. Why would any country in their right mind, sign the TPP or FTA agreement with Japan? Japanese consumers can be summarized in only one way. Japanese buy Japan made products, made by Japanese companies, in Japan, by Japanese workers.

Chunky

For cars and consumer goods, Japanese prefer the products of their brand name co-operation. US is uncompetitive in these sectors. However US soya bean is big hit in PRC. If there is TPP including agriculture, US corn, Soya bean, fruits and dairy products will conquer the Japanese market. There is only Rice will become hard sell. Software, Weapons and Movies of US are still competitive.

Now a days, US even can make the Kinchi which can satisfy the Asian market. Due to low yen, Abe wants to sell more products in US however he has no gut to open agriculture market.

Japan is still producing components and materials which are knowledge and capital intensive. Instead of exporting TV, phones and cars, they will export products which can not be made elsewhere. There is only one way to expand their market share in these miniature products.

For cars and consumer goods, Japanese prefer the products of their brand name co-operation.

The big difference is that many Japanese prefer to buy goods which are not only sold by Japanese companies but also made or better said constructed in Japan.

Now the home electronics market is extremely competitive, and you can see by int. sales figures that Japanese companies lost a lot of int. marketshare the past 5 years, to mainly South Korean companies, Samsung is the best example. These market shifts will keep on, but the Japanese high tech specialized industry is still miles ahead of it's Asian competition.

By any objective measure Abe's "summit" with Obama had to be a major disappointment. Going into it, he had hoped that Obama would show support for his tough stance on China, as well as be willing to take rice and other agricultural products off the table, so Japan could join the TPP talks. He got neither one. Because, again, Japan has completely mis-judged its diplomatic and economic importance. Refusing to accept the reality of the 21st century global world. It will be interesting to see the spin Abe and the Japanese press try to put on this. But, more importantly, it will be interesting to see if the Japanese leadership can really come to grips with Japan's diminished place in the world and stops setting such false expectations. Wishful thinking, like Abe displayed going into the meeting, is not what Japan needs going forward. Serious, mature leadership, grounded in reality, is.

Abe should treat the TTP like the plague. It s not progressive; it s nothing but a trap

Lets hope the two most debited Countries in the World dont take us all down..

Herefornow,

Is that how it's reported in the States? Let's first consider what this TPP us all about. To sum it up, it's a defacto EPA/FTA between Japan and U.S. Considering the fact that the remaining parties combined GDP is less than that of Japan. Considering that Obama has pledged to double the exports by 2015 (another pie in the sky policy that he will fail to achieve), he desperately wants Japan to join for he had no choice to cave into Japan's demand that there will be allowance for "exceptions" which is exactly what Abe intended to get from the U.S. In a form of a joint statement.

http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/kinkyu/20/H302013022318425501A/filLink2.pdf