A Japanese TPP Bid Not a White House Priority?

An expert on US politics has emailed me, telling me that the Obama administration should want to put off a domestic fight over a Japanese bid to join the TPP negotiations between US businesses in general and trade officials, who favor it, and opposition from the AFL-CIO, who played a major role in the presidential election, and the American Automotive Policy Council. True, concessions that the Japanese side appears to be preparing to make on inspection of auto imports do not address the real if unstated concerns of the opponents. I’m further downgrading the notion of an Abe bid on the occasion of the Washington visit.