Top official negotiating the TPP just caught taking bribes

[onawah]

The TPP was negotiated in secret, and now one the chief negotiators is accused of taking bribes
https://cms.fightforthefuture.org/japan/?can_id=4870e31ee9d2b4c95e94bdd1b8471b48&source=email-tpp-scandal&email_referrer=tpp-scandal&email_subject=tpp-scandal&link_id=1

This came out today from an organization called Fight for the Future https://www.fightforthefuture.org/


The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a massive, legally binding deal between 12 countries that was negotiated in complete secrecy by industry lobbyists and government bureaucrats. It has sparked international outcry, and expert's analysis of the text show it poses a grave threat to the economy, the environment, the Internet, national sovereignty, and freedom of expression.

Japan's economic and fiscal policy minister, a top official involved in negotiating the TPP, has been accused of taking major bribes from a Japanese construction company amounting to at least $148,000. It's not clear yet whether the bribe was related to the TPP itself, but it underscores the danger of these shadowy, corrupt, agreements.

This is exactly why decisions that affect billions of people should never be made in secret. This is exactly why the TPP is such a threat. President Obama is expected to sign the agreement on February 4th, but this bribery scandal could derail that if enough people speak out right away.

Sign the petition to tell Obama not to sign the TPP amidst public outcry and scandalous corruption. Then share it with as many people as you can!

Sign now!
https://cms.fightforthefuture.org/japan/

[conk]

This is certainly surprising, said the ostrich.

[onawah]

So he resigned, and it looks like it may have far reaching consequences (let's hope so!).

However, Amari’s resignation is not a cure-all. There will, indeed, be less time being wasted by the opposition interrogating Amari, but the significant rupture his departure will cause to the legislative process could also throw off the government’s plan for finalizing important economic policies this spring. To give just one example, Amari is the only Cabinet minister who knows all the background information on the secretive TPP negotiations; his successor will have to deal with explaining the TPP to the public while learning about its many intricate details on the fly.

An economic policy of particular political significance is the expansion of agricultural subsidies to assist farmers. These policies are important to quiet farmers’ fears because the LDP is still dependent on electoral districts where the agricultural vote can be a determining factor. Amari clearly hopes his resignation will speed up the process by which subsidies will be approved (ideally, being finalized before the summer Upper House elections), but this gamble could backfire.

Read it all here: http://thediplomat.com/2016/01/japans-tpp-chief-resigns-over-corruption-scandal/