Japan is encouraging more countries from Central and South America to join the reworked Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact.

The region has a combined population of about 600 million and a gross domestic product of around 5.1 trillion dollars.

Mexico, Chile and Peru are part of the TPP, but Brazil and Argentina -- the two giants of the region -- are not. Colombia has already expressed an interest in joining. It is the only member of a four-nation Latin American trade bloc called the Pacific Alliance that is not also a part of the TPP.

Current TPP members are working to ratify the deal. Japan wants to open the door to any interested countries, including the UK, Thailand and South Korea.

The pact would lower tariff rates among member nations, which in turn would make American products less competitive within the bloc.

Japan is also hoping to use the TPP as a way to counter Chinese influence in Central and South America. Japan, as leader, is seeking a path forward for free trade in Asia. This country is now the largest member of TPP. A revived TPP with Japan at the head could dent China’s hegemony in the region.

The pact would boost Japan’s real gross domestic product by 1.11 per cent.