Japan seeks end to dispute

Press, 24 June 1978, Page 6

Japan seeks end to dispute

NZPA Tokyo Japan’s Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Mr Nakagawa) said yesterday that when he visited Wellington later this month he would like to end' the fishing dispute with New! Zealand. Mr Nakagawa’s remarks, were made when the New] Zealand Ambassador to i Tokyo (Mr R. M. Miller) called on him yesterday. Mr Nakagawa did not! elaborate about what kind of I compromise plan he in-1 tended to bring to Welling-] ton, however. During their meeting, Mri Miller told Mr Nakagawa that i New Zealand was not fully] satisfied with the proposed Japanese purchase of New Zealand foods as part of Japan’s aid programme to developing countries. A senior Japanese Agricul-] ture Ministry official (Mr] Kenichi Kakudo) has denied.

an allegation by the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) that Japanese proposals for breaking the impasse in trade talks w’ith New Zealand have been modified to New Zealand’s disadvantage. Mr Kakudo. who returned to Tokyo yesterday from talks in Wellington on the trade and fisheries disputes, said that Japan had made no real change in its proposals.

He said that Japan had made every effort to implement the proposals made when a former Minister of Agriculture (Mr Zenko Suzuki) met Mr Muldoon earlier this year. He refused to give the contents of the proposals.

i The Press Association reports from Wellington that Japan has bought 5000 tonnes of mutton from New Zealand in the last two days. The mutton had been supplied from board stocks and I was for delivery to Japan in I August.