11 million signatures gathered in Japan against free trade pact
Deutsche Presse-Agentur | Oct 24, 2011
11 million signatures gathered in Japan against free trade pact
Tokyo — Japanese farmers groups submitted 11.67 million signatures to the government Monday on a petition opposing Japan’s participation in trade liberalization talks with other Pacific Rim countries.
Leaders of the groups met Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura to convey their objections to the pact as the government plans to decide soon whether Japan would join negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.
Farmers fear the trade pact could decimate the country’s agricultural sector while business leaders urged the government to join the talks.
Akira Banzai, chairman of the central union of agricultural cooperatives, said the government should be careful before making a decision on its participation.
Seiji Maehara, policy chief of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), said that if the negotiations go against Japan’s national interests, the country could withdraw from the pact even after joining the talks.
But many DPJ lawmakers expressed concerns about how the proposed trade pact could affect the fragile, tariff-protected farming sector.
The trade proposal is currently under negotiation among nine counties, including the United States, Singapore, Peru, Australia and New Zealand.
