Dingell Reiterates Opposition to Japan’s Membership in Trans-Pacific Partnership

Dearborn, MI – Following the release of a new report by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) today reiterated his opposition to allowing Japan to become a party to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), potentially the largest free trade agreement ever negotiated by the United States.

“I support free trade, but it has to be fair,” said Dingell.  “CAR’s study estimates that allowing Japan to join TPP would eliminate 2,600 direct U.S. automotive manufacturing jobs, as well as 9,000 supplier and 14,900 spin-off jobs.  At a time when we’re still recovering from the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression, it’s beyond comprehension that we would even consider entering into a free trade agreement that would put close to 30,000 Americans out of work.”

The United States is currently negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership with ten other Pacific Rim partners, including Brunei, Chile, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Vietnam, Malaysia, Mexico, and Canada.  Japan, although not an official party to TPP negotiations, is widely regarded as a potential member of the agreement.  CAR’s new study illustrates that U.S. elimination of its 2.5 percent tariff on imported passenger vehicles from Japan would result in a loss of 225,000 units of U.S. vehicle production and increase Japanese vehicle exports to the United States by 6.2 percent.

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