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Japan PM Abe vows to ratify TPP trade deal

TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed on Monday (Sept 26) at the start of a 66-day extraordinary legislative session to swiftly ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and find new avenues for economic growth.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe leaves the opening ceremony of an extra Diet session at the upper house of parliament in Tokyo on Sept 26, 2016. Photo: AFP

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe leaves the opening ceremony of an extra Diet session at the upper house of parliament in Tokyo on Sept 26, 2016. Photo: AFP

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TOKYO — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed on Monday (Sept 26) at the start of a 66-day extraordinary legislative session to swiftly ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and find new avenues for economic growth.

In a policy speech kicking off the Diet session set to run through Nov 30, the Japanese premier sought a chance to accelerate his administration’s Abenomics policy package of monetary and fiscal stimulus and structural reforms.

Bills related to the TPP, which was signed by Japan and 11 other Pacific Rim countries in February, will be high on the government’s agenda during the session.

Mr Abe has held up the TPP as a pillar of his administration’s growth strategy. With China notably not part of the pact, it could provide an opportunity for Japan to fortify its influence with trading partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Using the early entry into force of the TPP as a chance, we will aim to reach a target of 1 trillion yen (in annual agricultural exports) early,” Mr Abe said.

Mr Abe’s eagerness to make progress on the TPP during the session likely reflects concern that the outcome of the US presidential election on Nov 8 could complicate the situation.

In his speech, Mr Abe outlined a range of plans to squeeze growth out of so far untapped parts of the Japanese economy.

“The spirit to tirelessly aim to be top of the world, the peerless, masterful craft that can take the world by storm — Japan can still grow as long as people (with these qualities) continue to take on challenges,” Mr Abe said.

The Abe government will aim to use the session to push through bills relating to a second supplementary budget for the current fiscal year ending March. The supplementary budget plan could be implemented as soon as the middle of next month following deliberations by Diet budget committees.

Mr Abe also vowed to help the whole of Japan’s population work more productively by formulating a working practices reform plan by the end of the current fiscal year.

Referring to the difficulty of combining work and childrearing that has been blamed for Japan’s declining birth rate, Mr Abe pledged to end the practice of long working hours to allow workers time for family commitments including caring for children and the elderly.

He vowed to raise the minimum wage by a record 25 yen per hour (S$0.34) and to formulate new guidelines by the end of the year to combat unequal treatment of different designations of employees and ensure equal pay for equal work.

“Everyone, let’s eradicate the word ‘irregular worker’ from this country,” Mr Abe said.

Aiming to keep the spotlight on the economy, Mr Abe made only a brief reference to plans to amend the Japanese Constitution. Altering the war-renouncing article in the supreme law is one of the premier’s long-standing ambitions.

Gains in July’s upper house race gave Mr Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party, its coalition partner Komeito and like-minded lawmakers in favor of amending the Constitution the two-thirds majority in both Diet houses legally required to propose constitutional amendments, which must then gain a majority in a national referendum.

In his speech, Mr Abe called on lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties to overcome party lines in their constitutional review commission discussions in each house of the Diet.

“The way the Constitution should be, the kind of country Japan should aim to be — these things are not decided by the government, but by the people, and it is our responsibility as Diet lawmakers to communicate such plans to the people,” Mr Abe said in his speech.

Mr Abe will take questions on the contents of his speech from ruling and opposition lawmakers in both houses of the Diet for three days starting on Tuesday.

The main opposition Democratic Party has vowed to fight toe-to-toe with the ruling coalition under a refreshed leadership helmed by former administrative reform minister Renho, who was elected party leader on Sept 15.

Mr Abe also mentioned the appointment last Friday of an expert panel to consider the possible abdication of Emperor Akihito following the emperor’s release of a video message in which he expressed concerns about his ability to perform his duties in future.

Mr Abe said the panel will “deepen the discussion (on the issue) based on a national understanding”. KYODO NEWS

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