To date I have made two Japanese language entries to this blog,

discussing the investor-state dispute settlement (“ISDS”) provisions

that appear to exist within the Trans-Pacific Partnership (“TPP”)

agreement.  Within those entries I have basically limited myself to

speculating as to why discussion on ISDS provisions have not gained

traction within Japan, while it is widely discussed within Europe.

On June 2, two lawyers Motohiko Yamada and Koji Iwatsuki gave a

press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan

(“FCCJ”) on the lawsuit they filed at the Tokyo District Court against the

TPP, proving that there are people within Japan who object to the ISDS

provisions of the TPP.  To my question as to why the ISDS issue had

not been covered by the Japanese media, Iwatsuki’s reply was that

although he strongly felt that it was necessary for the local media to

report more extensively on this important issue, it was unfortunately not

the case.  Yamada and Iwatsuki’s press conference can be seen on

the FCCJ’s YouTube library.  I appear at about minute 51.

On June 15, again at the FCCJ, Yasuo Hasebe, Professor of Waseda

University, and Setsu Kobayashi, Emeritus Professor of Keio University