Diplomatic Defeat Approaches

Shouldn’t it be a prelude for “diplomatic defeat,” the terminology which Liberal Democratic Party used in scolding the handlings of former administration led by Democratic Party of Japan. According to a report of Asahi Shimbun, the United States required Japan to open the market of five important agricultural products in the negotiation over Trans-Pacific Partnership, which has been recognized as crucial category for farmers in Japan. As long as TPP is indiscriminative open-market framework, it is not easy to dismiss the request of U.S.

According to the report, U.S. Trade Representative, Michael Froman, proposed Japanese Minister of State in charge of TPP, Akira Amari, to eliminate all kinds of tariffs including five important agricultural products. Although Froman referred to a possibility of twenty-year moratorium for some products, Amari rejected it.

In summit talk between the leaders of Japan and U.S. in February, they agreed on a notion that there are sensitivities on agricultural products in Japan and industrial products in U.S. Japan has innocently been believing in the words U.S. had said, and persuaded skeptical people in Japan that some products would be protected even after Japan would join the framework of TPP. The fact is simply that U.S. has changed its mind. Considering that Japan has no other option than coping with U.S., there is a few chances to achieve a victory in TPP negotiation.

Protecting five products, rice, wheat, beef & pork, dairy products and sugar, is campaign promise of LDP. If the Government of Japan fails in defend them, supporting rate for Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, will significantly decline. Although Amari tried to explain the importance of those five, Froman did not accept it. If Amari had thought that domestic circumstance in Japan would be considered by U.S., he was too naïve as a negotiator on international free trade agreement.

There was a big contradiction in the attitude of the government. While TPP is obviously a free trade framework with no exception, the government has been trying to persuade its people against joining the negotiation that Japan can reserve certain crucial products. Adding to its acrobatic reasoning, the officials of the government kept on saying that if they had been able to persuade U.S. on setting sanctuary for some products, other countries would follow.

The Japanese need to understand that Premier Abe and his government had been lying. Elite bureaucrats had been fooling them with recognition that innocent people had no choice other than following the government. “We told you,” farmers would say, but it is too late. Now they have two choices; defeat the government or die.