Japan and the United States face some similar challenges, such as heavily indebted governments that have failed to stimulate growth and economies that are increasingly exposed to fast-rising China. Bruce Stokes, an international economics columnist for the National Journal, a Washington-based public policy magazine, believes both countries can cope with such challenges if they work closely together within the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade compact.
Stokes was the keynote speaker during a recent forum in Tokyo. The forum titled “Japanese and US Perceptions of the TPP,” was organized by the Tokyo Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit public policy think tank.
Following the keynote speech, Stokes and the following Japanese specialists held a panel discussion: Kiyohide Morita, a professor at the College of Bioresource Sciences of Nihon University; Ryosuke Tsuchiya, a senior fellow at the Tokyo Foundation specializing in medical care; Yutaka Harada, a senior fellow at the Tokyo Foundation specializing in the Japanese economy and trade relations; and Fumiaki Kubo, a senior fellow at the Tokyo Foundation and a professor at the University of Tokyo. Read more (PDF) . . .
This article originally appeared in the February 27, 2012, edition of the Daily Yomiuri . It is reprinted here with the permission of the publisher.