Japanese Prime Minister Shizo Abe, in a historic address to a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday, called for closer ties between the United States and Japan, highlighting new partnerships, including the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) still being negotiated.
“As for U.S.-Japan negotiations, the goal is near,” the Prime Minister said. “Let us bring TPP to a successful conclusion through our joint leadership.” President Obama has made the 12-nation trade agreement one of his top legislative priorities, despite strong opposition from many in his own party.
Although there has been reports of concessions on both sides as a result of ongoing TPP negotiations, the United States and Japan have yet to agree on critical areas in the trade talks–agriculture and automobiles. U.S. negotiators have been pressing Japan to allow greater access for sugar, rice, wheat, dairy, and pork and beef import–the so-called “sacred five.” In exchange for the agricultural concessions, Japan is looking for the United States to remove barriers to car and auto part imports from Japan, which is a sensitive issue for Detroit, which is accusing Tokyo of currency manipulation and unfair trade practices.
Abe said in his remarks that he is committed to a dramatic overhaul of Japan’s traditional farming. “Japan’s agriculture is at a crossroads. In order for it to survive, it has to change now,” Abe said. “We are bringing great reforms toward the agriculture policy that’s been in place for decades. We are also bringing sweeping reforms to our agricultural cooperatives that have not changed in 60 long years,” he said. TPP goes far beyond just economic benefit, Abe said. “It is also about our security. Long-term, its strategic value is awesome. We should never forget that.”
Senate and House committees last week approved legislation that would pave the way for approval of TPP, but the fate of Trade Promotion Authority remains uncertain on the floor, where few Democrats in the House of Representatives support it. It was not clear whether Prime Minister Abe’s remarks would make a difference in persuading skeptics to look more favorably on the deal. “At the end of the day, it’s not his job” to sell TPP to the U.S. Congress, said Rep. John Delaney (D-MD), who is undecided on TPP. “It’s the president’s job.”