And then there were 12…Japan Joins the TPP

Thousands of Japanese farmers took to the streets this past week against the TPP, as their newly elected Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was elected on a promise to not join the TPP if it ‘required unilateral elimination of tariffs’ has indicated that Japan will join. According to Japan Daily, his Liberal Democratic Party assured voters that they would maintain tariffs on key farm products, especially rice, wheat, beef, dairy products and sugar. However the White House has not confirmed that to be the case and his government seems to not be one for keeping promises. Akira Banzai, head of Japan’s Zenchu, the Central Union of Agricultural Cooperatives (representing millions of farmers across all 47 prefectures of Japan), vowed “to protect our food, our livelihoods and our survival, we will staunchly resist TPP to the very end.” Japan’s entry into the TPP might actually be the beginning of the end for the TPP. For now, we in the US are called to action by the Japanese farmers who continue to take to the streets to hold their elected leaders accountable.