A coalition of food and agricultural organizations and companies, including the National Chicken Council, on Tuesday urged the United States and other countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations to quickly welcome Japan into the trade talks.
Japan recently announced its intention to join the TPP negotiations, which currently include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.
In a letter sent to President Obama, the coalition of 75 food and agricultural organizations and companies said the inclusion of Japan in the trade talks would generate enormous interest and support in U.S. agriculture.
“The addition of Japan to the negotiations will exponentially increase the importance of the TPP to U.S. farmers and ranchers, processors and exporters as well as other sectors of the U.S. economy,” said the coalition. ‘Furthermore, it will spur interest in the TPP among other countries in Asia and Latin America.”
Allowing Japan to join the talks also will send a strong signal to other nations that efforts to negotiate more open and transparent regional trading arrangements will continue, even as multilateral efforts to do so are stymied.
