Japan and the TPP: Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) Statement

Japan has announced that it wants to join talks for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the free trade agreement currently being negotiated among 11 countries.

Said Scott Paul, President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM):

“We should welcome and encourage Japan's interest in freer trade, but let's not roll out the red carpet for their inclusion in the TPP. Japan’s closed market, currency manipulation, and many other concerns stand in the way. It's not worth sacrificing American jobs and American manufacturing to secure a TPP agreement at any cost. And I highly doubt that Congress will look favorably upon a TPP proposal that doesn’t stop currency manipulation and guarantee reciprocity for American workers and businesses. We’ll work to make sure of that.”

Read Paul's recent op-ed at CNBC.com on Japan's currency manipulation and other trade barriers.