Sunday’s Sankei pointed out the absence of a centralized trade organization within the Japanese government, noting that unlike the USTR, which has been granted centralized authority in trade talks, several GOJ ministries are accountable for negotiating trade deals with foreign governments. The daily explained that the TPP headquarters at the Kantei is responsible for the TPP, MOFA is in charge of the Japan-EU EPA, and METI is tasked with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) initiative. Noting that calls had emerged within the GOJ at one point for establishing a Japanese version of the USTR, the daily said some GOJ officials are negative toward the idea. While crediting the TPP headquarters with successfully completing the tough TPP-11 talks, the papers added that its viability will be tested again when negotiating with the USTR for a “free, fair, and reciprocal” trade deal.