WASHINGTON -- Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is urging the United States to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership, saying that its participation in the trade deal is of the utmost importance for prosperity in the Asia-Pacific.
In a speech at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington on Friday, Kishida called for the United States to return to the TPP from which it had withdrawn, saying, "The United States' return is of paramount importance."
The TPP was signed by 12 countries, including Japan, the United States and Australia, in February 2016, but the superpower announced its withdrawal in 2017, and the agreement instead entered into force in December 2018 under the framework of 11 countries.
