During TPP talks, Obama thanks Japan for anime, manga, karate, karaoke and emojis

Today at the White House, President Barack Obama welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Abe to start their conversation about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a controversial plurilateral agreement in the eyes of many consumers in the 12 represented countries due to the lack of public information about it and the negative effects on people’s rights (seen in leaked TPP documents). Organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation say the TPP “threatens to extend restrictive intellectual property (IP) laws across the globe and rewrite international rules on its enforcement.” Even some Democrats are against this partnership. Senator Elizabeth Warren is strongly against it.

It is also a first for any US president to thank a Japanese PM for things Americans enjoy like anime and manga (no videogames!):

“This visit is a celebration of the ties of friendship and family that bind our peoples. I first felt it when I was 6 years old when my mother took me to Japan. I felt it growing up in Hawaii, like communities across our country, home to so many proud Japanese Americans. Today is also a chance for Americans, especially our young people, to say thank you for all the things we love from Japan. Like karate and karaoke. Manga and anime. And, of course, emojis.”

Though it is very important to recognize the arts coming from The Land of the Rising Sun, let’s not lose sight of how the Trans-Pacific Partnership could affect us all.

[Source]: The White House (YouTube).