Japan, U.S. agree on Tokyo joining Trans-Pacific trade talks

On Friday, Japan and the United States agreed on Japan joining talks on an Asia-Pacific free trade agreement.  Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters on Friday that He believed Japan’s national interests are protected under this Japan-U.S. agreement.  While he is working toward the agreement, he faces the fierce opposition from Japan's politically powerful farm lobby.  Mike Froman, White House international economic affairs adviser expressed his stance to support Japan’s joining this talks saying that having Japan in TPP and contributing to the high standards of TPP is good for the U.S.  Meanwhile, the U.S. automobile companies showed their enormous concerns by saying that U.S. government efforts that helped the U.S. auto industry recover in recent years "could be threatened by Japan's entry into Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/12/trade-asiapacific-japan-idUSL3N0CZ31020130412

Honami Nabeshima