U.S. trade rep to visit Japan to break stalemate in TPP talks

I hope that Mr Froman will talk to the people who will be effected by the secret TPP agreements - the 100,000s of thousands of farmers and farm workers who will lose their jobs - and the peripheral businesses that will go under.

But there's not much chance of that, is there?

Democracy is dead.

At least as far as Japan and the U.S.A. are concerned.

Autos? Japan has no tariffs on American cars, but the U.S. imposes a tariff on some Japanese vehicles.

The issue must be about Japanese access to the American market, not American access to the Japanese market.

If Mr. Froman concentrate on food and food products, he might succeed.

If he began pushing about cars, I don;t know. Large left-side handle cars made by Japan Inc in USA.

Sign up and bend over.

TPP is pretty scary, and I really wish Japan would either bow out or lead a coalition to change huge parts of the deal...or just make a completely new agreement.

That said, it does have the potential to be good for Japan. Still, the worst-case scenarios I've read about really worry me. For example, Japan's amazing National Healthcare System might be at risk of being, essentially, destroyed by this due to the influx of American insurance companies, foreign run for-profit hospitals and the use of US standards of intellectual property (for medicine, medical procedures, etc.).

Its all bad, but the latter is particularly worrying since procedures and drugs could not be used without permission from the patent holder (who has the ability to renew the patent indefinitely). This would mean two things for health-care in Japan: either the costs would raise substantially or the national system would be unable to procure these procedures making national care completely irrelevant. Both scenarios see the system out of business under TPP with American style inefficient, immoral healthcare system replacing it.

This is the worst-case scenario, but it is an unbelievably horrifying prospect. I cannot stress enough how horrible the American system truly is for the average citizen.

Another worry is that multi-national corporations would have the right to sue the government if it felt it was being unfairly treated; essentially, giving these corporations (in theory) greater rights than the government itself.

However, I do think Agriculture needs reform, because I think Japanese agricultural goods can sell internationally if the structures were more efficient. But I'm really not sure pulling the rug from beneath them at this point (without the structural reforms) is a good idea...

That said, I am confident that Abe and the LDP will fight for Healthcare, agriculture and Japan's sovereignty. We can say a lot about the LDP, but if they are conservatives and nationalists they will not compromise on protecting Japan.

Let's hope it turns out well...

MGigante Apr. 08, 2014 - 02:47AM JST For example, Japan's amazing National Healthcare System might be at risk of being, essentially, destroyed by this due to the influx of American insurance companies, foreign run for-profit hospitals and the use of US standards of intellectual property (for medicine, medical procedures, etc.).

Amazing National Healthcare System? Then how do you explain the fact that in Japan last year, more than 16,000 people who went to emergency care were refused at more than three hospitals. This does not happen in the U.S.

@sfjp330

"According to the Institute of Medicine, between 1993 and 2003, emergency room visits in the U.S. grew by 26 percent, while in the same period, the number of emergency departments declined by 425.[15] Ambulances are frequently diverted from overcrowded emergency departments to other hospitals that may be farther away. In 2003, ambulances were diverted over a half a million times, not necessarily due to patients' inability to pay.[15]"

Sorry the stats are a decade old. It would be nice to think things got better since then but ...

Japan has always been super protective of it's domestic home grown economy but growth within the country have peaked long time and future prospect is not bright with decreasing population. People with narrow vision must realize free trade is the key to revitalization and survival of Japan.

CraigHicksApr. 08, 2014 - 09:13PM JST Sorry the stats are a decade old. It would be nice to think things got better since then but ...

Here is a source: It's very current.

July7 23, 2011...Cases of emergency patient refusal by at least 3 hospitals rise to over 16,000. Source: www.japantoday.com/.../cases-of-emergency-patient-refusal-by-hospitals-rise -to-over-16000 ‎ Mar 6, 2013 Saitama man dies after hospitals reject him 36 times - Japan Today Source: www.japantoday.com/.../saitama-man-dies-after-hospitals-reject-him-36-times ‎