“Can’t Toyota dealerships sell American cars?” demanded American TPP negotiators of their Japanese counterparts.

So went a “fly on the wall” scoop in the May 19 Tokyo Shimbun, clearly leaked by the Japanese side, of the dialogue between Japanese and U.S. TPP negotiators. The story was datelined Singapore, where a two day ministerial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiating session ending today, May 20, will produce a joint statement, but not a final agreement.

The U.S. delegation’s “question” was clearly more of an accusation. Translation: The exclusive “keiretsu” domestic dealer networks your auto makers–Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, Mazda, etc.–are an unacceptable barrier to entry to America car sales in Japan. We want that barrier removed by “opening up” these dealerships.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stephenharner/2014/05/20/japan-auto-imports-tpp-and-the-price-of-american-leadership/

It also includes a bunch of wonderful things for each and every corporation. No longer will corporations be limited by democracies, fair and equal trade, environmental protections, pesky labor laws and national boundaries. Corporations will be able to do anything that makes them money. Use DC for a toxic dump? No problem those pesky environmental laws can be deleted with a law suit through the handy dandy corporate tribunal. Even the Dancing Supreme will not longer have to be bribed to rule in favor of every corporations with a scam. Now the handy dandy tribunals will rule on labor regulations, and environmental laws. You think your vote counts for something? Not if your a simple citizen because the tribunal can overrule any and every law protecting you if it interferes with them making money.

See all the wonders of the TPP? It's like NAFTA only 100 times more destructive to the average citizen but grrrrreat for any foreign or domestic corporations.

If you haven't read the leaks, you need to. There is no guarantee that the leaks will take effect but you can clearly see the direction they are going and it ain't in the direction of helping anyone but the hugely rich and corporations.

But of course if you just wana wait until the secret trade agreement is passed into law before you get off the sofa and do something than wait as long as you want.

As for me, I'm not blind or stupid.

They mean american cars made in china.

TPP would only affect trading rules for the countries that belong to it - just like NAFTA only affects the trading rules between the US, Canada and Mexico. (It does not affect the importation of cars from Germany, Sweden, South Korea, etc.)

Japan's rules for importing cars from China would not change unless they reach some other agreement on their own.

So far China has trade agreements only with Iceland, Switzerland, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica, Pakistan and the countries in the ASEAN group (10 countries). Apparently China is negotiating trade agreements with Norway, Australia, Japan, South Korea and India. Who know how many, if any, of those being negotiated will ever happen.

http://fta.mofcom.gov.cn/english/index.shtml

...Great for the Corporations - Terrible for the rest of us..