🇯🇵 Lula wants beef with Japan

Good morning! As Bolsonaro and seven of his allies face the Supreme Court this week over charges of plotting a coup in 2022 (more below), members of the former president’s inner circle are convinced the decision will not go their way — and fear the damage this week’s decision will do on social media. 

In Japan, Lula is pushing Brazilian beef

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrived in Tokyo today, kicking off a tour of Asia that will also take him to Vietnam. The trip is part of Brazil’s broader push to strengthen ties with the region and boost trade — especially in agricultural exports and aviation.

Agenda. In Japan, Lula aims to secure a breakthrough in Brazil’s longstanding goal of gaining access to the Japanese market for fresh beef and pork. He will also seek to advance trade talks between Mercosur and Japan.

What they are saying. Brazilian diplomats hope to obtain a political commitment from Japan to send a sanitary inspection mission, a necessary step toward approving Brazilian beef for Japanese consumers. The Brazilian government hoped that would have happened last year, when Lula hosted Japan’s then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Brasília.

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