On September 26 was concluded a trade talk of FTA (free trade agreement) between the United States and Japan, using which the Abe government has cheated people as a trade agreement on goods = TAG. Prime Minister Abe Shinzo says that he is intended to ratify the accord during the current Diet session. The agreement means renunciation of food sovereignty. The New Socialist Party definitely opposes it.

JAPANESE AGRICULTURE WILL BE DESTROYED AND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY WILL BE LOST

Premier Abe and President Trump signed the agreement. The Abe government explains that the counterpart compromised to make the accord equal with a level on the TPP11 and that the 70 thousand tons of import quota of US rice was excluded, stressing the achievements. It is, however, a lie.

Why? It is because the US certainly will demand renegotiation. The US government extended the proposal to remove 2.5% export tariffs on automobiles, too, though it had been set forth in the TPP negotiation table. In other words, the Trump government has gained a position by which it could start renegotiation at any time, holding the strongest means at hand to take more than what was promised in the TPP framework.

People will pay for negative consequences

The agreement represents a sheer product brought about by President Trump who tried to win the biggest results in foreseeing the coming presidential election in his country and by Premier Abe who wants to be proud of his competency in diplomacy (though he was forced to purchase 275 tons of US corn). As a result, payment bills will be put on Japanese farmers and fishermen as well as the country’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries as a whole. Simultaneously, a self-sufficiency level of food will go down, thus people will be indebted by outcomes.

Self-sufficiency rate is the lowest

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries declared last August that the food self-sufficiency rate of the Fiscal 2018 was 37% (on the calorie basis), which is the record lowest. The ministry says that the fact was attributable to a fall in the harvest due to irregular climatic conditions.

The food sufficiency rate was 79% in 1960, and it has been declined since then; it is caused, apparently, by the enhanced liberalization of agricultural products by way of the TPP11 and the EPA between Japan and European nations. The policy has threatened the farming population, leading to a lack of successors and abandonment of arable land (420 thousand ha). Thus the very foundation of agriculture has been eroded.

Situations in the zones, called an intermediary area between plains and mountains, are harsher as mountains and forests occupy over 70%. Agricultural activities in these areas hold 40% of Japan’s cultivation and production, and its deterioration hits the farming industry extraordinarily to destroy environment, diminishing self-sufficiency of food. Incidentally, the number of farming households was reduced by 970 thousands in the past 15 years, decreasing the farming population by 1.8 millions.

Foodstuff contamiinated with chemicals

When a food self-sufficiency rate goes down, people rely on imported goods; that means they will face chemically-contaminated foodstuff. It will, reportedly, cause cancers and atopic dermatitis and increase allergic patients rapidly. People’s life and health will be sacrificed. At the same time Japan becomes more vulnerable in terms of national security as foreign countries will have lethal keys of control.

Prices of agricultural goods surge, too. It is because food production capacity does not go along with its consumption as the world population expands and developing nations grow rapidly. Consequently famine will prevail around the world where 800 millions are hungry. Food is not fairly distributed to needy people and needy areas.

To protect life and health and to prevent starvation in other parts of the globe agriculture in Japan must be rebuilt to develop toward greater self-sufficiency.

October 8, 2019