日米協定、参院で審議入り　安倍首相「年末までに国内対策」

　日米が１０月に署名した貿易協定の承認案は２０日、参院本会議で審議入りした。茂木敏充外相が趣旨説明し、安倍晋三首相も出席。政府・与党は、１２月９日までの今国会で承認を取り付け、２０２０年１月の発効を目指す。
　安倍首相は、日米協定で農業市場の開放を進めることを踏まえ、環太平洋連携協定（ＴＰＰ）の国内対策を定めた政策大綱を年末までに改定する方針を改めて表明。「補正予算も活用し、新たな市場開拓など生産基盤強化を進め、今回の協定を経済成長につなげていきたい」と語った。公明党の矢倉克夫氏への答弁。
　協定では、日本がＴＰＰの範囲内で農産品市場を開放し、米国は自動車・同部品を除く工業品関税を撤廃・削減する。野党は、米国が自動車・同部品の関税撤廃を先送りしたことへの批判を強めている。
　協定承認案は、１０月２４日に衆院で審議入り。今月１９日の衆院本会議で可決され、参院に送付された。（2019/11/20-11:59）

Japan's House of Councillors started deliberations Wednesday on a trade agreement with the United States that was approved by the House of Representatives the previous day.
   At Wednesday's Upper House plenary meeting, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated the government's plan to revise by the year-end a policy package that it adopted to ease the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact's impact on the domestic farming sector, in order for the package also to mitigate the impact of the Japan-U.S. trade deal.
   Under the bilateral deal, which was signed last month, Japan will step up the liberalization of its agricultural markets to U.S. goods, while the United States will reduce or remove its tariffs on Japanese industrial products, albeit excluding automobiles and auto parts.
   "We aim to leverage the latest trade agreement for economic growth," the prime minister said, expressing the government's readiness to use a planned supplementary budget to strengthen the foundations of agricultural production, including pioneering new markets.
   The opposition camp has criticized the government for failing to include in the deal the abolition of U.S. automotive tariffs on Japan.