Meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Phnom Penh on Nov. 20, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda expressed a desire to accelerate talks to settle certain bilateral trade issues so that Japan can begin negotiations on entering the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade zone.
Mr. Noda has already decided to include Japanese participation in the TPP talks in the Democratic Party of Japan's manifesto for the Dec. 16 Lower House election and to make it an election issue. The DPJ leadership says it will not recognize as candidates on the DPJ ticket those who oppose Japan's participation in the TPP talks.
It is regrettable that the government has not provided sufficient information about the TPP even though people continue to raise questions and fears about it. Voters should not cast their ballots Dec. 16 without being fully informed, since the TPP is expected to drastically change the way Japan trades and does business. Thus it will have a great impact on the nation's social and economic fabric. The TPP is not only about the elimination of tariffs. There is much talk about how to protect or grow Japan's agricultural sector if Japan joins the TPP. Agriculture, though important, is only one of the issues related to the TPP.