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To: goldsnow who wrote (22480)	11/1/1998 1:42:00 PM
From: Alex	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116756

Japan refuses to bow to trade demand By RUSSELL SKELTON The Japanese Foreign Minister, Mr Mashiko Komura, has rejected calls from Australia, Canada and the United States for Japan to slash import restrictions on forestry and fish products at the APEC trade liberalisation summit. Mr Komura said it was unfair for countries to criticise Japan's stand because it had promised to implement large-scale tariff reductions in line with the Uruguay Round agreement and it was the world's largest importer of fish and forestry products. In what appeared to be a hardening of Japan's position on trade liberalisation, Mr Komura said that under the terms of earlier APEC agreements further trade concessions would be voluntary. ''I believe that the APEC process is not something that should be forced upon member economies,'' he said. A senior US trade official, Ms Charlene Barshefsky, has told Japan it must open up the fish products and forestry areas of its economy to help Asian economies trade their way out of the financial crisis. Mr Komura said Japan had agreed to discuss reducing tariffs in seven other areas including toys, telecommunications, medical equipment, chemicals, gems, jewellery and energy. Australia, Canada and the US want tariffs on paper pulp products scrapped in 1999, but under the existing APEC arrangements they are not due to be removed until 2005. But it seems unlikely that the Obuchi Government is willing to make any significant new concessions because of Japan's deepening recession and intense pressure from industry groups concerned about growing levels of unemployment, rising debts and shrinking domestic markets. Mr Komura, who leaves tomorrow for a six-day tour of Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia, said he would explain Japan's position on trade liberalisation to the Foreign Minister, Mr Alexander Downer, and the Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, when he meets them in Canberra on Thursday. ''I am hoping they will see that Japan is not able to participate in the areas (of fish and forestry products),'' he said. theage.com.au