U.S. trade chief says concluding TPP deal won't be easy

"U.S. trade chief says concluding TPP deal won't be easy"

I'm glad to hear it.

BertieWoosterJUL. 19, 2013 - 05:12PM JST "U.S. trade chief says concluding TPP deal won't be easy"

I'm glad to hear it.

Unfortunately for Japan, not participating in TPP is not an option. With China's GDP growing at 7%, and Japan's GDP not growing at all, Japan is going to have to change the way they do things.

For more than half a century Japan has been very protective of it's domestic market, not allowing other countries to compete. The lack of competition has resulted in high prices for the Japanese consumer. A Nikon camera or Sony television costs an average of 1/3 more in Japan than they do in America. With the average Japanes household earning 1/3 less than a comparable American household, it is rather obvious why Japan is in some kind of trouble. The key to Japan's declining birthrate is that many Japanese simply don't have enough money to raise children.

Were the playing field more fair in regards to international trade, there would be a greater variety of goods available, and at a significantlly lower price. A broader market might add some dynamism to the Japanese economy, if people are able to spend more momey on things other than staples. America is not a bad example of a open and dynamic economy. Despite the current economic problems in America, the annual GDP is still incredibly strong.

Japan needs to shake off the dead weight it is carrying.

TPP will work if it's only between the original countries who proposed this trade agreement.

Lol, listen to all the economic experts. Of course it won't be easy, no such treaty is "easy."

It is very understandable that USTR is having difficulty negotiating this TPP in Japan and other Asian countries (after 4-years of delays, and 4-years of missed Presidential ending forecasts, there still is no realistic sign that they will be concluded anytime soon). It is because USTR team has little comprehension of the cultures and business practices in those countries, yet they refuse any offered (from myself) consulting support from outside experts that better understand the needs and sensitivities of the politicians, businesses, and citizens in these countries.

TPP is a terrible treaty. Google "what's wrong with the TPP" to read all about it. Even worse, the whole thing is being negotiated in secret for false "national security" reasons. The first US congressman to actually even get to read it (only recently), was dismayed but forbidden to discuss the contents...and said "If transparency would lead to widespread public opposition to a trade agreement, then that trade agreement should not be the policy of the United States."

http://boingboing.net/tag/tpp

TPP benefits neither the US nor Japan... It's basically cooked up by the transnational mega-corporations in complete secrecy, and obviously their interests come first. Since it takes a lot of advertising MONEY to become the president, and we all know who the biggest donors are, the US government has effectively been taken over by the corporations.

TPP is not going to "open up" the country, make no mistake about it. But rather corporations will attempt to completely take the control over the lives of the people that live there. The people will become completely dependent on corporations.