Japanese and U.S. officials, including President Barack Obama, are in Asia this week to talk trade. The President began his trip in China on Monday, followed by meetings in Malaysia later in the week.
No announcement of an agreement between the U.S. and Japan is expected next week, according to a statement from the White House press secretary.
The United States is pushing the TPP even as China seeks to ink a competing trade deal with some Pacific economies. Granting the White House trade promotion authority, or "fast track," is viewed essential to advancing TPP negotiations. Fast track authority would keep legislators from tacking on amendments to White House requests for trade deal approvals – an "up or down" vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) opposes fast track, as do many organized labor interests. That makes progress toward fast track unlikely until after Republicans take control, said Gary Clyde Hufbauer of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "The lame duck session will probably be too crowded with other issues (such as tax extenders) to find much time for TPA," he speculated. "And if time were available, so long as Senator Reid wields the gavel, TPA would not be a priority."
The United States and Australia, especially, would like to see Japan’s meat tariff structure changed. "Price restrictions and high tariffs have been the standard for too long, and Japan will have to play on the same terms as other participants for the TPP to work," said Stallman. Countries may place import tariffs on products when domestic producers are unable to compete with production costs from other countries. That is the case in Japan, where meat production – especially beef – is at a competitive disadvantage with production here and in Australia.
Another reason for Japan’s staunch support for meat tariffs structure is the clout of the Japanese Agricultural Cooperative, which "caters to all the requirements that a Japanese farm may have," reported this year by the USDA Tokyo office.
In addition to providing all farm inputs and being a market outlet for farm products, including livestock, the cooperative has significant impact on Japanese farm policy, "developing and maintaining strong ties with agricultural policymakers in the government of Japan." The cooperative has opposed changes to the existing tariff structure.