Hardly a day goes by that NHK and other media don't refer to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. At this moment Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda must have a hard time wondering what to say in the upcoming TPP talks. In this connection, I am reminded of another Japanese prime minister, Hideki Tojo, who faced the decision 70 years ago this month of whether to attack Pearl Harbor.
If we compare the struggles of these two prime ministers, the TPP issue shrinks to a speck of dust. Yet, many politicians are using exaggerated language; some imply that the TPP talks mark the beginning of the end of Japan's economy.
To be sure, the TPP is not an insignificant issue alongside that of nuclear power generation. But I wish this nation's politicians would serve the country more constructively instead of yakety-yakking on talk shows about how not to bury this country. Japan will not be destroyed so easily, regardless of whether it joins the TPP or not.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.