SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
The Japan Times reports:
[1063 plaintiffs, including lawmakers,] filed a lawsuit against the government on [May 15], seeking to halt Japan's involvement in 12-country talks on a Pacific Rim free trade agreement, which they called "unconstitutional".
[...]The lawsuit is led by Masahiko Yamada, 73, a lawyer who served as agriculture minister in 2010 as part of the Democratic Party of Japan government.
"The TPP could violate the Japanese right to get stable food supply, or the right to live, guaranteed by Article 25 of the nation's Constitution," Yamada, who abandoned his party in 2012 over then-Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's push to join the TPP talks, said [May 14] before the court filing.
The envisaged pact would benefit big corporations but would jeopardize the country's food safety and medical systems, and [would] destroy the domestic farm sector, according to the plaintiffs.
The litigation is another twist in efforts by Japan and the U.S., the top economies involved in the TPP, to expedite talks on the agreement that would cover about 40 percent of the world's commerce.
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 18 2015, @07:07PM
If the domestic farm sector will be destroyed, does this mean that former farmers will follow their dreams to become artists instead, and pr0n output will surge?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Monday May 18 2015, @08:49PM
If the domestic farm sector will be destroyed
The reason "they" want to destroy Japans ag sector is leverage. Next thing you'll hear is "If you're hungry, best pay up for wartime reparations from 80 years ago, sucka" "But none of us were alive 80 yrs ago!" "So what, pay up sucka".
Another good one is "look the other way while we have some "fun" with Taiwan, or never get another rice shipment again" type stuff.
Or even just sneakier backroom stuff "Well, we could ship you more food, but you'd have to cancel that US military base lease to have space to store it, hint hint"
Interesting thing about resentment, it builds over time. So the problem with "peace provided by the barrel of a gun" is all you're really building is a pressure cooker. Better to have a little trade tiff here and a diplomatic argument there for 50 years, than to slowly build up anger till nuke party 50 years later.
Possibly the strategy of "bigger wars more separated in time" is more profitably for the powers that be. Otherwise why would they want that strategy. However I'm not sure its more fun for us slaves.
(Score: 2) by Ryuugami on Tuesday May 19 2015, @12:20AM
Another good one is "look the other way while we have some "fun" with Taiwan, or never get another rice shipment again" type stuff.
Or even just sneakier backroom stuff "Well, we could ship you more food, but you'd have to cancel that US military base lease to have space to store it, hint hint"
Those are unlikely, since the TPP includes the USA, while not including either Chine nor South Korea.
(Full list of participants according to Wikipedia [wikipedia.org]: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam.)
If a shit storm's on the horizon, it's good to know far enough ahead you can at least bring along an umbrella. - D.Weber
(Score: 3, Interesting) by stormwyrm on Tuesday May 19 2015, @01:31AM
Japan has long been described as being a "screwdriver's turn away [wikipedia.org]" from joining the nuclear club. They could build workable nuclear weapons very quickly, so much so that some analysts consider them a de facto nuclear state. Some estimates say that with their resources they could develop full nuclear capability within a year. They have a space program, and some of what they've done (e.g. with the Hayabusa program and its return capsule), appear in part to be a credible demonstration that they can build ICBMs.
If they get pissed off enough by that kind of forced leverage, they may decide it's time for the screwdriver to turn.
Numquam ponenda est pluralitas sine necessitate.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 19 2015, @05:41AM
That must be one very tight screw. Have they tried WD40?
(Score: 2) by VLM on Tuesday May 19 2015, @11:17AM
They're trying to use a slot american screwdriver or maybe a Canadian Robertson in a philips head metric, it's going to be difficult. Just use a hammer, what could possibly go wrong?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Ryuugami on Tuesday May 19 2015, @12:28AM
If the domestic farm sector will be destroyed, does this mean that former farmers will follow their dreams to become artists instead, and pr0n output will surge?
The TPP includes the "Intellectual Property" section, where the US, as usual, tries to push the US-style copyright and copyright enforcement on other signatories. Since much of Japan's porn industry (especially comics and animation) are dependent on the lax enforcement and/or free use, both of which the US is pressuring the governments all across the world to eliminate, I'm afraid both the farmers and porn makers are going to be looking for jobs.
If a shit storm's on the horizon, it's good to know far enough ahead you can at least bring along an umbrella. - D.Weber
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 19 2015, @12:36AM
Doujinshi ("imposter" comics using well-known characters) is a huge market in Japan and often a starting point for many well-known manga artists. Its where lots of artists get their first break and fame. Draconian IP laws in Japan would destroy the entire manga, and thus anime and probably eroge, economies.