Whether Japan should join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade scheme is one of the main issues in the coming Upper House election. If Japan becomes a member of the TPP, it will greatly impact agriculture and other industries, and people's lives. Deplorably, political parties are talking about the TPP only in the general terms of whether they support or oppose it. They should present the TPP's merits and demerits in a clear-cut and detailed manner so that voters can be fully informed before passing judgment on it.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced in March that Japan will start a procedure to take part in negotiations for the TPP. But both the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito have neglected to show how the TPP will help promote Japan's national interests.

The opposition forces are divided over the issue. The Japan Restoration Party and Your Party support Japan's entry into the TPP. But like the LDP and Komeito, they have failed to demonstrate in concrete terms the merits of the TPP. The Democratic Party of Japan says that it will deal with the TPP with a stern attitude that does not exclude the possibility of Japan withdrawing from the TPP talks if necessary. But reflecting divided opinions within the party, the DPJ does not clearly say whether it supports or opposes the TPP. The Japan Communist Party, the People's Life Party, the Social Democratic Party and the Green Wind oppose the TPP mainly because they think it will destroy Japan's agriculture and local economies.