09/12/2016 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 9 December, the Japanese parliament ratified the trans-pacific trade partnership (TPP) concluded at the end of 2015 and signed in February 2016 by Japan, the United States and ten countries from the Pacific, namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, China, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. During his election campaign, US president-elect Donald Trump threatened, on a number of occasions to withdraw the United States from the TPP, which has yet to be ratified by the US Congress. The Japanese trade negotiators will be meeting their European Commission counterparts next week for a new round of talks on a free-trade agreement between Japan and the EU. The two sides hope agreement can be reached in principle before the end of the year (see EUROPE 11636). (EH)