The Japanese government is looking to implement the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement among 11 remaining signatories after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the sweeping treaty earlier this year.
Japan had been cautious about moving ahead with the TPP without the U.S., but changed its position as it became clear the U.S. was unlikely to ever return to the fold. The shift to prioritizing implementation of the multilateral deal can also be seen as a pushback against U.S. pressure to negotiate a bilateral trade pact.
The TPP was signed by 12 nations in February last year. However, Trump announced shortly after his January inauguration that he would take the U.S. out of the treaty, putting the pact's future in doubt. The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had previously indicated it was waiting for the U.S. to return. However, during economic talks with Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso on April 18, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence declared that "the TPP is a thing of the past for the United States of America," and made a clear push for a bilateral Japan-U.S. trade deal.
Read the full story at The Mainichi