The American Automotive Policy Council, a trade group representing the Big Three automakers, is pushing back hard against Japan's new place at the negotiating table for one of the most comprehensive free-trade deals in years.
Initially conceived as an 11-country bloc when it was announced in Nov. 2011, the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement aims to create a free-trade group with countries such as Vietnam, New Zealand and Malaysia. In July, during the 18th round of negotiations, Japan joined the talks, and the countries involved ambitiously hope to wrap up the discussions in October.
Japan's place in the negotiations has the AAPC wary, as the country has long been protectionist and it is considered among one of the most-closed automotive markets in the world, with a 6 percent import penetration rate versus most other countries that have a 45 percent import penetration rate.