Japanese Parliament's upper house has passed a law ratifying the new Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement of 11 countries, not counting one original member, the United States. Parliamentary approval is expected to help speed up related domestic procedures and add momentum toward the realization of an early enactment of the agreement. The TPP deal will enter into force once six or more countries complete their domestic procedures.

Ever since his presidential campaign, pledging to withdraw, US President Donald Trump has been critical of the partnership As a result, Trump signed a memorandum for US exit from the deal in January 2017. The pact mainly seeks to slash tariffs on farm and industrial products, protect intellectual property rights, simplify customs procedures and establish rules on e-commerce. It was signed in March by Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.