LDP leader considers censure motion against Noda over TPP decision

Surprise surprise.

good, they are not planning to impeach Noda :)

some, I hope you are being sarcastic, (Don't know what that emoticon means)

Gambare Tanigaki - san !

I still don't know whether Japan is actually joining the TPP talks. His statement regarding TPP is very ambiguous.

Come on... Japanese people know food quite well. So if less expensive and or lower quality food enters Japan I'm sure they can make the decision to buy or not on their own. That said... lower income families would probably welcome the choice of less expensive food stuff.

I don't believe food products such as rice from California will be any less in quality. You can buy 25lbs (11.36 kilos) for $15.00 in U.S., which translates into 1125 yen. In Japan, the same rice will cost you three to four times higher for same quality rice at 3500 to 4000 yen? These farmers in Japan are ripping off their own people. Reality is Japan is having more and more disparaties in income and people are making their living with less. The middle class working people are being stretch to the limits. Having more choices and lower prices will help these people.

This TPP thing is also threatening parts of Japan's pop culture such as doujinshi (fan-made comics) and cosplay.

If Japan enters, they would be branded as counterfeit goods and be illegalised!

And those poor hard-working farmers and doctors and other good blue-collar jobs.

Hate to say it, but for once...good for Tanigaki!

“There is a lack of information. There have not been discussions on ways to ease the public’s worries. I have no choice but to say (the announcement) was premature and express my opposition,” Tanigaki said.

Japan is ONLY entering preliminary talks. There haven't been any negotiations yet so how can Noda possibly inform the public at this time? Obviously that comes later. Tanigaki is just being a partisan jerk.

How long until they are calling for his head and we get a new PM? Can't these people understand that doing this crap hurts their country more than helps??

How long until they are calling for his head and we get a new PM?

How long? Not long.

They been calling for it since he was appointed.

Are you kidding me ? FINALLY some true leadership and they start whipping up public are worried ?. Seriously, Japan relies on 60% of its food from overseas. Average age of the Japanese farmer is now 65 years old... Over the past 5 years Farming families have reduced by 330,000 ( 16% )...... In 10 years the average age of a farmer will be 75 ? Korea already has the jump on Japan with FTA's completed or in progress with big economies.... Stick to your Guns NODA... I think the Public should be worried if you dont drive this..

What does anyone expect from the LDP? The agriculture collective is what put and kept the LDP in power for decades, he can not go on the record and agree with something that would potentially kill off his constituency.

The LDP would be against it no matter who the PM is, they don't bite the hand that keeps them fed.

Tanigaki, your an embarassment, shut up pls, better yet, just go AWAY!

If Jpn misses out on this its going to hurt bad

How would he know information is being hidden if he doesn't know about it???

Anyway, Japan has only signed up to "participate" in discussions, not the trade pact itself.

I have full confidence Japan will join.

Yubaru - "What does anyone expect from the LDP? The agriculture collective is what put and kept the LDP in power for decades."

True, that was until Ozawa launched a masterful campaign involving going into the countryside to campaign before the DPJ won. He was instrumental in swinging the majority of Japan’s agriculture community to vote for the DPJ for the first time.....I think in history. He deserves credit – and a lot of it – for that fact alone.

I’m not sure this is correct, but last time I read, the farming sector accounts for something like 2.5% of Japan’s GDP. If that is the case, it’s a very small player.

I see the introdiuction of larger scale more productive farms, possibly very large Government-subsidized co-ops. I read recently there is a move of young businesspeople investing in farms – a very interesting development imo.

As of yet, I don't recall seeing Tanigaki actually stating whether he is for or against TPP. Just claiming that Noda is not revealing all he should about TPP and expressing his opposition of joining TALKS on TPP. If anyone needs to be censured, it is Tanigaki.

Jeez, why not actually start saying what you will do for Japan as opposed to arguing against everything the current government does? Time for a change - the opposition needs to go!!

There are known knowns, and known unknowns.

For sure the greatest known is that Tanigaki will oppose anything, seek to stall anything, or generally do anything to block the introduction of any kind of change.

He only knows the literal interpretation of "opposition". Meanwhile his constituency of inefficient and unproductive agricultural alliances will gradually die off through old age.

"There is a lack of information" Of course there is a lack of information, they are only just talking about it, and Japan has only just decided to participate it the talks! After that there will be more information. This is a good thing and Japan will get a lot out of this... Someomne mentioned in an earlier post that those struggling wil have more choice. More choice has always been good. It makes people work harder to produce something better. That's business! But at present we only have what the Japanese gov allows us to have. Now that is a lack of information!

Sorry about the spelling... was in a hurry

Not sure what the thumbs down is for. The opposition has been calling for Noda to step down pretty much since his first day. That is all the opposition parties ever seem to do. It would be nice if they actually did some actual legislation for a change.

I am not really sure that the TPP would be a good thing for Japan or not. If you look at NAFTA, there have been many of times where one country gies against the contract (eh, hem...USA) and the other countries suffer. If all the countries were able to act civilized then this would not be an issue, but if you have even one country being a bully, it could cause larger issues. I think that Tanigaki is right to be requesting more information to make sure that it really does fit within Japan's economic future. In fact, we should all be interested to hear about what is being discussed.

Tanigaki decries others doing what he would do if he were in government.

Hypocrite.

Sadly, Tanigaki is likely to be Japan's next PM. When he's in that seat he will do EXACTLY the same things as Noda is doing now, but with less promise. IF asked why he reversed his opinion on this and that he simply won't answer. He's a moron and a coward.

What's his stance on the TPP anyway? Tanigaki has NEVER stated what he believes in or how he would go about achieving it -- he is simply a broken record chiding the current PM for whatever the current PM is doing.

The LDP needs new leadership.

The LDP needs new leadership.

And Japan needs a better government that embraces change and or takes concrete action instead or constant deliberation.

Like it or not the world is changing constantly, and these men are trying to stop the change any way they can in order to keep the power within their grasp. Unfortunately for them they will lose in their endeavor to remain stagnant and prevent change. Change is absolutely 100% inevitable and on a personal level, let me say it again ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, I am thoroughly enjoying viewing them squirm.

instead of*

Change is a coming! This country has been in the dark ages for to long. Hiding behind Japanese history and culture doesn't mean a thing to the world economy. Today sushi, japanese vegetables and rice are more delicious outside Japan.

another opposition idiot. transperancy in japan in respect to government!! when is japan going to understand it needs to change in order to survive in todays world economy? the attitude is so edo! bye bye to the old regimes, lets welcome the new younger free thinking(if there are any, remember free thinking is not allowed) representatives. if japan continues down its current path, it will become another greece, italy, or spain. i hope the current government gives me the opprotunity to vote here because i would be voting asses like tanigaki out of here! brings me to a qoute, stupid is as stupid does!

"Sarcasm on"

Tanigaki for President

"Sarcasm of"

LOL. The LDP for generations has been aligned with both Japan Inc. (which favors TPP), as well as getting great support from agriculture (which is against TPP), due to the heavy tariffs and subsidies they showered on them -- rather than force needed reform. So they are in great part the cause of the problem, and makes them critisizing anyone on this very comical.

I still can't believe Japan enjoys an over-700% tariff on foreign rice imports. Talk about stifiling competition! And before anybody starts getting defensive, yes I know my country does the same thing - especially with fruits and sugar. Because of that I pay an artificially inflated price to keep a surplus of fruit and cane sugar growers in business.

To minimize impact on all those concerned, tariffs would need to be eliminated in a stepped-manner. Suddenly dropping a 700% tariff completely would flood the market with the foreign product, sending Japanese rice farmers into bankruptcy.

Fadamor Nov. 16, 2011 - 01:18AM JST. Suddenly dropping a 700% tariff completely would flood the market with the foreign product, sending Japanese rice farmers into bankruptcy.

Without the TPP, the Japanese farmers will continue to have reliance on tariffs and ineffective government subsidies, which do not reward farms for innovation or productivity.

Minshuto was born to defend to interests of foreigners living in japan. They will never defend the real japanese interest.

Fadamor: I agree completely! It is already hard enough for farmers here and many younger people don't want to have anything to do with it. I think Japan should be careful, because if they rely on imports too much, Japan's farming industry will die out. Then when floods or drought hit other countries, Japan won't even have close to enough to supply the population here.

PS A lot of farmers around the world are subsidized by their governments...not just Japan. Farmers here try their best to be innovative, but there is only so much that they can do....sfjp330 how would you like them to be more innovative?

Minshuto was born to defend to interests of foreigners living in japan. They will never defend the real japanese interest.

issa1, hahahaha, you have got to be kidding LOL! So pls dont keep any secrets, give us a few REAL Japanese interests.

News flash, Japan can no longer operate like it did back prior to the 90s when language & ritual were enough to keep the world at bay, those days are long gone, the rest of the world has long figured out how Japan "works".

NOW its Japan that is going to have to figure out how to deal with the rest of the world in a more head on way, that or Japan will need to opt out of the global economy for the most part, so whats it going to be?