13 Mar 2013

Japan looks at joining TPP deal

6:48 pm on 13 March 2013

A new free trade agreement that will eventually cover over 40% of global trade is being hailed as one of the most ambitious plans in the Asia Pacific region.

Eleven nations - including New Zealand - have signed up to take part in what is called the Trans Pacific Partnership.

Now Japan is the latest country to announce that it is thinking about joining those countries already at the negotiation table.

But it is not an easy decision for the third largest economy in the world, the BBC reports.

There has been serious opposition from farmers who argue they're livelihood will suffer.