There are two topics here.  One has to do with the negotiating objectives of the various parties in TPP talks.  The other has to do with just which countries are to be parties to the negotiations and signatories to the first TPP deal.  With respect to negotiating objectives, the pork producers are urging more trade and more openness, and we hope they win that argument.

As for who should be in the mix?  Should Japan drop out?  That's a tougher question.  We know we will be returning to it sooner rather than later; so we'll make this short.

The National Pork Producers Council has issued an important statement, and  we urge you to read their full statement for yourself.  We will not attempt any further paraphrasing of it.  One doesn't have to make too many calls, however, before the party on the other end says, in effect, "Dropping Japan: that's not a prescription; it's a negotiating tactic.  Pork doesn't want Japan to drop out.  No one in the ag. community does.  For U.S. agriculture, Japan's participation is what makes TPP interesting."

Okay, but when something is said enough, and when enough people are saying it, you have to take it seriously.  Last week's statement wasn't the first one with the idea of dropping Japan.  Last May, the National Pork Producers Council issued a statement that began this way:

And those U.S. agricultural groups are not the only ones making that suggestion.   Prime Minister John Key of New Zealand raised the same possibility when he spoke to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last June.  Mr. Key was clear that he would prefer a TPP deal that includes Japan.  However, he said, if the other eleven countries can come to an agreement on a comprehensive TPP but Japan cannot, "then we should get on and do a deal with those eleven partners."

At some point, the suggestion of dropping Japan ceases to be just a tactic and becomes instead a full blown issue with a life of its own.