Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was way ahead of the game when he declared that the much-heralded 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement announced this month is "just a start." The prime minister was positively gung-ho, boldly proclaiming that even Japan's ailing, aging, heavily protected agriculture would be transformed through TPP. "We will strive to transform defensive agriculture into offensive agriculture so that young people can develop dreams," boasted Abe.
Sadly, he is being economical with the truth. In reality, the way the TPP was negotiated is a major blow against democracy and good governance. It is studded with measures distorting capitalism and free markets. Above all, it is a triumph for giant corporations in the United States and to a lesser extent Japan.
Normally when a major deal is struck, there is a news conference with a text available. Ministers face questions about the achievements, the implications and the details, down to a mini-clause in a sub-chapter or a parenthesis in an appendix.