<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-bottom-width: 1pt; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 8pt; padding-left: 0in; "><div style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 7.5pt; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; color: black; "><span>·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; "> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: black; "><img width="199" height="31" id="Picture_x0020_1" alt="Description: The Wall Street Journal" src="cid:image001.gif@01CE215F.424438A0"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div style="margin-right: 0.25in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 10.8pt; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-transform: uppercase; "><span>·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; "> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); text-transform: uppercase; ">JAPAN NEWS<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(153, 153, 153); border-left-width: 1pt; padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0.25in; "><div style="margin-right: 0.25in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 10.8pt; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); "><span>·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; "> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); ">March 15, 2013, 6:29 a.m. ET<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><h1 style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; min-width: 0px !important; "><span style="font-size: 22.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; font-weight: normal; ">Abe Says Japan Will Join Trade Talks<o:p></o:p></span></h1><h3 style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; line-height: 15.6pt; "><span style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-weight: normal; ">By<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=TOKO+SEKIGUCHI&bylinesearch=true" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><span style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.75pt; ">TOKO SEKIGUCHI</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></h3><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 15.6pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; ">TOKYO—Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Friday that his country will take a seat at the negotiation table of the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations, a move that may pit him against powerful farm lobbies ahead of upper house elections this summer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 15.6pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; ">"This is our last chance to join the TPP and take part in the rule-making," Mr. Abe told reporters Friday at a news conference to mark his decision to join the talks. "For Japan to remain inward-looking means we are giving up on the possibility of growth."<o:p></o:p></span></p><h3 style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 6pt; background-position: 0% 0%; "><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">Read More<o:p></o:p></span></h3><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 14.4pt; "><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span>·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman'; "> </span></span></span><strong><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324392804578357913869135652.html" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><span style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); ">Bid to Enter Trade Talks Marks New Phase in 'Abenomics'</span></a></span></strong><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 15.6pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; ">Friday's decision comes after weeks of high tension within Mr. Abe's Liberal Democratic Party, a pro-business conservative party also with strong ties to farm associations that have significant influence over the key rural vote.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 15.6pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; ">A number of produce sectors heavily protected by import tariffs have loudly protested against joining the TPP talks, which also include agricultural giants like Canada and Australia.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 15.6pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; ">Rural prefectures of Kochi and Shimane lodged complaints earlier Friday, Kyodo News reported, warning the dangers TPP pose to their already dwindling farm population.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 15.6pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; ">Mr. Abe had been setting the stage for Friday's announcement since his party beat the Democratic Party of Japan in December's elections, assuring voters that he would automatically be against joining the TPP if it required "prior commitment to unilaterally eliminate tariffs."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 15.6pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; ">Last month after his visit with U.S. President<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://topics.wsj.com/person/O/Barack-Obama/4328" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; "><span style="color: rgb(9, 61, 114); ">Barack Obama</span></a>, Mr. Abe confirmed that such requirements did not exist, rejecting TPP critics who say that taking part in the negotiations would be the beginning of the end of Japanese agriculture.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 15.6pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; ">"I promise to protect our farm and produce," Mr. Abe reassured the public adding, "We must be on the offensive with our agriculture-this is a chance, not a crunch."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-bottom: 12pt; line-height: 15.6pt; "><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; ">The Japanese government estimates the TPP, presuming all tariffs are scrapped, could add ¥3.2 trillion ($33.3 billion) to the economy, which is 0.66 percentage point of the real gross domestic product.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; "><br></span></div></body></html>