Japan Press Weekly

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2011 February 23 - March 1 [ENVIRONMENT]

Environmental group opposes Japan’s entry into TPP

The Japan Network for Earth Environment and Prevention of Pollution (JNEP) at a rally on February 19 declared its opposition to Japan’s participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade pact.

The JNEP, consisting of labor unions, women’s organizations, famers’ groups and individual citizens, carries out various activities, including research and lobbying, in order to eradicate pollution and protect the global environment.

The rally was held to exchange opinions on Japan’s entry into the TPP and the outcome of the 2010 United Nations International Climate Change Conference (COP16) held in Cancun, Mexico. It also adopted an appeal urging the Japanese government to take domestic measures to prevent global warming.

At the rally, Mashima Yoshitaka, Vice President of the National Federation of Farmers’ Movement which is the member of the JNEP, cited the soaring food prices caused by the unusual weather in Russia and China, and said that Japan’s entry into the TPP will exacerbate the food crisis.

Importing food from abroad uses an enormous amount of fossil fuels and produces a huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries show that the amount of CO2 emissions associated with importing food into Japan amounts to 16.9 million tons a year, nearly twice the amount emitted in transporting the total amount of food within the country.