JCCI head urges Abe to join TPP talks
Baku, December 29 (AZERTAC). The Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry says it wants the government to declare as soon as possible that the country will join negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.
The JCCI made this and other requests in a letter delivered to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by its chairman Tadashi Okamura on Friday.
The United States and 10 other countries are already negotiating the TPP agreement. Japan has yet to decide whether to join the talks, but former prime minister Yoshihiko Noda said in 2011 that Japan would begin consultations with the countries involved in the talks.
The letter calls for early participation in the talks so that Japanese opinions can be reflected in efforts to make TPP rules.
The JCCI suggests that the government work to increase the competitiveness of Japan`s farm sector. Many Japanese farmers worry that joining the TPP would destroy the country`s agriculture.
The JCCI also calls on the government and the Bank of Japan to work together to help maintain the Japanese currency`s rate at around 90 yen to the US dollar as part of efforts to support small and medium-sized businesses.
The organization also urges the government to swiftly resume operation of nuclear power plants if their safety is confirmed, and to clarify a path to curb rises in electricity bills. After last year`s Fukushima nuclear disaster, almost all of Japan`s nuclear reactors are offline.
In his meeting with the JCCI chairman, Abe reportedly said he`ll do all he can to end deflation and revitalize local economies.
Okamura told reporters that he strongly feels that Abe is determined to vigorously launch new strategies for growth and work to prepare a large-scale supplementary budget to stimulate the economy.
Other news in this section
