As a reader of your newspaper who respects your balanced perspective, I was somewhat concerned to see the April 22 editorial, ”Climbing Mt. Everest in Japan,” regarding the Maekawa Committee report. This report called for nothing less than a fundamental transformation of Japan`s traditional approach to economic management and national lifestyle in order to better improve our bilateral trade relationship.
Your editorial apppealed to Japan by asking, ”Why not start with the foothills, Mr. Nakasone?” Defining the foothills as semiconductors, timber products, medical instruments, telecommunications, toys, cars and oranges, etc., it maintained that Japan should first begin to address these issues rather than look toward broader, more fundamental changes.
In fact, however, many of these ”foothills” already have been under serious consideration during the past year in the Market-Oriented, Sector-Selective (MOSS) talks between Japan and the United States. On Jan. 10, Secretary of State George Shultz and Japanese Foreign Minister Abe stated clearly in a joint report that ”a number of positive changes have been made in conditions of market access in Japan.”
Indeed, significant progress has been made, in particular, since Japan`s Action Program was implemented some nine months ago. For example:
— Tariffs on approximately 2,000 items have been eliminated or reduced, including the removal of all duties on computers and their parts;
— Japan`s telecommunications market has been opened to become the second largest deregulated telecommunications market in the world, next to that of the United States;
— Japanese capital and financial markets have been significantly liberalized;
— Restrictions of forestry and medical products have been sharply reduced, and the tobacco monopoly has been terminated; and
— Standards and certification procedures have been streamlined for products ranging from automobiles to pharmaceuticals.
You may also be surprised to learn that with the progressive expansion of our import quotas on beef and citrus, Japan now buys 70 percent of all U.S. beef exports and 50 percent of all U.S. citrus exports.
Referring to the Maekawa report, your editorial also concluded that ”in Japan, where tradition is a measure of virtue, they (the proposed changes) are nearly impossible.” Regrettably, such a statement only discourages the sincere efforts on the part of the Japanese government and people, who remain firmly determined to contribute to the prosperity of the world economy by further increasing the domestic importation of foreign products through the expansion of consumer demand. To achieve this end, my government established the Promotion Headquarters for Economic Structural Adjustment on April 22, composed of the major cabinet members and top officials of the Liberal Democratic Party. This step underscores our strong commitment to implement the fundamental transformation of the Japanese economy as expeditiously as possible.
Finally, I wish to emphasize that Japan`s initiative for improved market access during the last few years offers a prime opportunity for American exporters. It does not, however, offer sales commitments.
I would like to appeal to our American friends to meet us halfway on this two-way street. Through our joint cooperation–i.e., increased access to the Japanese market and renewed U.S. export efforts–our bilateral trade relationship can certainly be placed on a more balanced plane. Let me reassure you that Japan, for its part, will continue to make every effort to facilitate the importation of foreign goods into its market and that my government remains steadfast in its commitment to achieve this end.
