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Japanese farmers anxious, dissatisfied before upcoming TPP talks

Xinhua, July 27, 2015 Adjust font size:

Japanese farmers on Monday expressed their anxiety and dissatisfaction over talks of the U.S.-led Trans- Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade framework as the government here disclosed insufficient information on the issue that matters farmers' lives.

Some 1,500 farmers rallied here and urged the government to protect some key agricultural items ahead of a TPP ministerial meeting that will be held in Hawaii on Tuesday.

An agricultural lobby head, Toyokuni Kakurai, was quoted by local reports as saying their dissatisfaction and anxiety have reached a limit since the government did not disclose enough details on the free trade talks which, if an agreement is reached, will greatly impact Japanese farmers.

Japan proposed in its bilateral talks with the United States that it eyes to set a 50,000-ton zero-tariff quota for U.S. rice and gradually increase the amount to 70,000 tons over 10 years or longer, reported Japan's Kyodo News.

But rice is among five key items -- rice, wheat, beef and pork, dairy products and sugar -- that Japan calls as "sensitive" products in the free trade talks and wants to keep tariffs on them. Endi