By Fumio Kishida, member of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and former foreign minister

Japan has led efforts emphasizing free trade even though the former U.S. government under President Donald Trump adopted the America First policy and protectionism. And the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement was central to those efforts.

The U.K.’s application for TPP membership should be welcomed as we share basic values, such as freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.  

The TPP is a framework that seeks high-level free trade. Japan, as TPP chair in 2021, needs to determine whether the U.K. is in line with this principle.

Unlike the former Trump administration, the new administration led by President Joe Biden values international cooperation and allies.

But the Biden administration will attach importance to domestic politics for the time being as it needs to address such top priority issues as the economy, employment, and the correction of inequality. So the administration will domestically take a cautious stance, saying, “The TPP needs some improvement.”

[The U.S.] is positive about the “free and open Indo-Pacific” concept, so [the U.S.] can’t help but value economic ties [with other nations]. In the long run, it would be ideal for the U.S. to play an important role in the TPP.

It is important for Japan to lobby the U.S. to return to the TPP through close communication between Japanese and U.S. leaders during the upcoming summit meeting.

China is showing interest in joining the TPP, but it seems difficult for the country to accept various rules, including restrictions on the preferential treatment of state-owned enterprises. If the country cannot follow the TPP rules, its seeking membership in the free-trade accord is not one of its options.