More than a year after Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda declared to the global community his interest in Japan joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade accord, the nation remains unconvinced of the merits and major political parties are taking equivocal stances, turning it into a major election issue.
The Liberal Democratic Party, which opinion polls say will triumph in Sunday's Lower House election, promises in its platform to oppose entering the TPP negotiations if abolishing tariffs "without sanctuary" — or eliminating levies on all products — is a precondition.
Analysts say the pledge is carefully worded so as to win the votes of the many opponents of the regional free-trade initiative, especially farmers, who fear that an influx of bargain-basement produce from overseas would put them out of business, while at the same time giving the LDP room to shift toward a more pro-TPP position once in office if this precondition is scrapped.