On March 31st, the Consul- General attended and spoke during a TPP Panel Discussion, at the request of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Middle Tennessee office of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The Consul- General explained that TPP is an unprecedented economic agreement, in terms of both scale and scope. Participating countries account for 40 % of global GDP and one-third of imports. The agreement provides an economic blueprint for the 21st century, including highly transparent and fair conflict analysis and resolution, protection of intellectual property rights, consistent treatment of government-owned companies, as well as removal of tariffs and facilitation of trade. Moreover, TPP promotes an Asia-focused strategy that will play an important role for security in the Asia Pacific region. And it will support the Japan-U.S. alliance that is indispensable for stability and prosper in the region. TPP provides an opportunity to deepen the economic relationship between Japan and the U.S. and will replicate that success to other nations.