ＴＰＰ交渉 米国のペースに惑わされるな

The Yomiuri Shimbun August 24, 2013
Japan must proceed with TPP talks without being chafed by U.S. intent
ＴＰＰ交渉　米国のペースに惑わされるな（8月23日付・読売社説）

The current round of Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations is the first in which Japan has taken full part. How will Japan demonstrate its presence to proceed with talks to its advantage? An aggressive stance is called for.
　日本にとっては初めての本格交渉だ。いかに存在感を発揮し、交渉を有利に進めるか。攻めの姿勢が問われよう。

Japan and the 11 other countries that are participating in negotiations on the TPP free trade agreement, including the United States, Australia and Canada, kicked off two days of ministerial talks in Brunei on Thursday. A ministerial statement was scheduled to be announced Friday to confirm that the talks will be accelerated to conclude an agreement before the end of this year.
　日米、豪州、カナダなど１２か国による環太平洋経済連携協定（ＴＰＰ）交渉の閣僚会合が、ブルネイで始まった。２３日に閣僚声明を出し、年内妥結を目標に交渉の加速を確認する予定だ。

In line with this commitmment, working-level officials will hold negotiations by the end of the month.
　これをもとに、月末まで事務レベルで交渉が行われる。

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, who chairs the ministerial talks, has said that reaching an agreement this year is a top priority for President Barack Obama. With a TPP accord as a leverage, Obama seeks to expand U.S. exports and boost job opportunities.
　閣僚会合の議長を務めるフロマン米通商代表は、「年内妥結はオバマ大統領の最優先事項だ」と強調する。大統領はＴＰＰをテコに輸出を拡大し、雇用を増やすことを目標に掲げている。

The United States probably wants to reconfirm with other countries the policy of concluding the talks this year during the current round of negotiations in Brunei and use it as momentum to reach a broad accord in October.
　米国は、ブルネイで年内妥結の方針を他国と再確認し、１０月の大筋合意へ交渉に弾みをつけたい考えだろう。

But if the talks proceed in line with the U.S. scenario, there are fears Japan will not be able to secure sufficient time for negotiations because the country was only able to take part in the TPP talks from the latter half of the previous round of talks.
　それでは、７月の前回交渉の後半部分からようやく協議に参加した日本は、十分な交渉時間を確保できなくなる恐れもある。

Secure chances for assertions

It is necessary to avoid a situation in which Japan will be deprived of opportunities to present its case if the negotiations are cut off early in line with the schedule as planned by the United States. We urge Japan’s negotiators to hold talks separately with other TPP nations in an effort to increase the number of member nations that support Japan’s stance.
　米国ペースで早期に交渉が打ち切られ、日本が主張する機会を奪われる事態は避けねばならない。各国と個別に折衝し、「味方」を増やす努力も求められよう。

Prior to the Brunei round of talks, Japan worked out proposals on tariff abolition and presented them to other participating nations to sound out their responses.
　日本は、今回の交渉に先立ち、関税撤廃に関する提案をまとめ、参加各国に打診している。

The proposals called for abolishing tariffs on about 80 percent of trade items and left pending five categories of farming products, including rice, wheat and dairy products, that the Liberal Democratic Party wants handled as exceptions.
　関税を撤廃する品目の割合（自由化率）を８０％前後とする一方、自民党が聖域扱いを求めたコメ、麦、乳製品などの農産品５項目の扱いは「未定」とした。

This was based on the fact that Japan’s degree of trade liberalization has been held to 84 percent to 88 percent in the economic partnership agreements it has concluded with 13 countries and territories. Rice and other items were exempted from free trade.
　日本がこれまで１３か国・地域と結んだ経済連携協定（ＥＰＡ）の自由化率が８４～８８％にとどまり、コメなどは対象外だったことを踏まえたものである。

In the case of TPP talks, the government opted to set lower liberalization targets in the first place, possibly in preparation for bargaining that is expected to become tougher.
　ＴＰＰ交渉では、まず低めの目標を示し、今後激しくなる駆け引きに備える作戦だろう。

Froman has said that Washington is aiming for a more ambitious agreement, so the United States is likely to call on Japan to carry out greater liberalization and further market opening.
　フロマン代表が「もっと野心的な合意を目指している」と述べたように、米国はより高水準の自由化率と市場開放を日本に求めてくるに違いない。

Each participating country has crucial fields that they want to protect with high tariffs, including sugar for the United States and dairy products for Canada.
　米国の砂糖、カナダの乳製品など、各国とも高関税で保護したい重要分野を抱えている。

For Japan, protecting all of the five farming product categories would not necessarily serve its national interests.
　日本にとっては、農産品５項目すべてを死守することだけが国益に資するわけではない。

The government needs to expedite coordination of domestic opinions by focusing discussions on which fields Japan should concede and on which it should win concessions. Concerning the formation of rules on intellectual property rights and investment, Japan should actively present its assertions.
　何で譲って、何を勝ち取るのか。政府は絞り込みの国内調整を加速する必要がある。知的財産権や投資などのルール作りでも、積極的に主張を展開すべきだ。

In conjunction with such efforts, the government must earnestly study measures to boost the competitiveness of the agricultural field, as well as to assist sectors that are expected to suffer as a result of opening their markets.
　併せて農業の競争力強化策や、市場開放で打撃を受けることが予想される分野の支援策の検討を本格化しなければならない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 23, 2013)
（2013年8月23日01時31分  読売新聞）