ＴＰＰ交渉不調 日米が協力して漂流させるな

The Yomiuri Shimbun February 27, 2014
Japan, U.S. should cooperate to stop TPP talks from drifting
ＴＰＰ交渉不調　日米が協力して漂流させるな（2月27日付・読売社説）

Ministerial talks for the Trans-Pacific Partnership multilateral economic partnership agreement once again failed to reach a basic agreement, mainly due to a confrontation between Japan and the United States.
　日本と米国の対立が障害となり、環太平洋経済連携協定（ＴＰＰ）交渉の閣僚会合は再び、大筋合意を見送った。

The TPP negotiations should not be left drifting. Japan and the United States, the countries responsible for leading the negotiations, must swiftly put the talks onto a desirable track.
　このまま交渉を漂流させてはならない。主導すべき日米両国が交渉を早急に立て直すべきである。
It was a fresh start from the previous talks in December, but the negotiations have broken down for the second time. No schedule has been officially set for the next meeting. This result is utterly disappointing.
　昨年１２月の仕切り直しだったのに、２度目の物別れだ。妥結目標を示さず、次回日程も決まっていない。期待外れの結果である。

The latest TPP ministerial talks held in Singapore, in which 12 countries including Japan, the United States and Australia participated, have ended.
　日米を始め、豪州など１２か国が参加したシンガポールでのＴＰＰ閣僚会合が終了した。

The aim of the TPP is to create new free trade rules in the Asia-Pacific region to lead the world with an economic partnership framework for the 21st century. However, if the negotiations were to lose momentum, it would be difficult to break the state of deadlock.
　ＴＰＰは、アジア太平洋地域で新たな自由貿易ルールを作り、２１世紀型の経済連携で世界をリードすることが狙いだ。しかし、交渉の勢いが弱まれば、膠着(こうちゃく)状態を打開するのは難しくなるだろう。

The main reason that the participating ministers have given up on reaching a basic agreement was a confrontation between Japan and the United States over the elimination of tariffs.
　大筋合意を断念した主因は、関税撤廃を巡る日米の対立だ。

Regarding the Liberal Democratic Party’s insistence that five sensitive agricultural categories, including rice, wheat and barley, be exempted as sanctuary items, the United States has maintained its hard-line stance, persistently seeking tariff cuts on them. Japan sought a point of compromise on the five categories by suggesting the possibility of lowering tariffs on beef and pork to sound out the U.S. reaction. However, the abyss between the two countries on the issue was so deep that they could not find any point of compromise.
　自民党がコメ、麦など農産品５項目を関税撤廃の聖域として主張している問題で、米国はあくまで関税撤廃を求めて強硬だった。日本は５項目のうち、牛肉や豚肉の関税引き下げを打診し、妥協点を探ったが、溝は深かった。

On the issue of tariffs on automobiles and auto parts, which Japan demanded that the United States remove, the two countries could not solve their confrontation.
　日本が米国に要求した自動車や自動車部品の関税撤廃問題でも、対立は解けなかった。

It will be difficult to find a way out of the deadlock in the TPP talks if Japan and the United States, two economic giants, only stick to their negotiation principles and do not show flexibility. The two countries should reflect on their attitudes, which have lacked broader perspective.
　経済大国の日米がＴＰＰ交渉で互いに原則論に終始し、柔軟性を示さなければ活路は開けない。ともに大局的見地を欠いていた点は反省すべきだ。

Reshaping the talks

Australia and emerging countries such as Malaysia, which have closely watched the Japan-U.S. negotiations, have also become passive in the TPP talks. Broad differences were also seen between the claims of the United States and emerging nations as well. Japan and the United States should feel a serious sense of responsibility for holding up the overall TPP talks.
　日米協議を注視していた豪州やマレーシアなど新興国も消極的になった。米国と新興国の主張にも開きがあった。交渉全体の足を引っ張った日米の責任は大きい。

The focus from now on is how to put the talks onto a desirable course.
　今後の焦点は、ＴＰＰ交渉をどう立て直すかである。

The 12 countries are expected to have the next meeting when the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum holds a meeting of trade ministers in Qingdao, China, in May.
　１２か国は中国・青島で５月に開くアジア太平洋経済協力会議（ＡＰＥＣ）貿易相会合の際に次回会合を開く考えとみられる。

Another important factor for breaking the deadlock of the TPP talks is a Japan-U.S. summit meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama, who will visit Japan in late April. It is inevitable that the TPP should become a main discussion agenda for their talks.
　ＴＰＰ交渉打開に向けて重要になるのが、４月下旬に来日するオバマ米大統領と安倍首相との日米首脳会談である。ＴＰＰが主要議題にならざるを得ない。

In the United States, the protectionist pressure has been increasing with midterm elections of the U.S. Congress scheduled for November. For this reason, we are concerned about how the U.S. side’s difficulty with compromising in the talks will play out.
　米国では、１１月の議会中間選挙を控え、保護貿易主義圧力が高まっている。このため、米国が譲歩しにくい展開も懸念される。

Obama has maintained that concluding the TPP agreement is the top priority issue for employment and export expansion. We hope he exercises his leadership in domestic coordination and efforts to make progress in the TPP negotiations.
　大統領は雇用や輸出拡大のためＴＰＰ妥結を最優先課題に掲げてきた。国内調整と交渉進展で指導力を発揮してもらいたい。

The attitude of Abe, who made the TPP a pillar of his growth strategy, will be put to a test. Abe must stand at the helm in finding a point of agreement with the United States, while reinforcing the competitiveness of Japan’s agricultural sector ahead of market liberalization.
　ＴＰＰを成長戦略の柱に据える安倍首相の姿勢も問われる。市場開放に備え、農業分野の競争力を強化しながら、米国との接点を見いだす先頭に立つ必要がある。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 27, 2014)
（2014年2月27日01時34分 読売新聞）