U.S. pressure on Japan could assist N.Z.

Press, 23 June 1981, Page 16

U.S. pressure on Japan could assist N.Z.

By

BRUCE ROSCOE in Tokyo

A new burst of. United States political, pressure on Japan this month to.' opem its doors to more imports of agricultural .produce could save New’ Zealand a lot of work. The United States trade representative, Mr William Brock, has sent a policy guideline to 12 members of the Senate Finance Committee confirming that Mr Reagan’s Administration is “committed to seek further liberalisation of Japan’s formal and informal trade barriers.”

According to Japanese news reports, the guideline said that beef and fruit exports were “important areas which needed particular attention.” New Zealand is also seeking liberalisation of Japanese import barriers against beef, cherries, apples and a number of .‘processed fruits. New Zealand processed fruit is still subject to import quotas despite the. expanding demand among Japanese consumers for the produce. Tokyo importers have indicated that they also expect an increase in demand for New Zealand's canned exotic fruit, such as feijoas and boysenberries, as well as conserves and block frozen fruit. The United States has not stopped at winning Japan’s pledge to limit voluntarily car exports. Mr Brock reportedly said he had made it clear to ( senior Japanese officials that the United States wished to engage in a “comprehensive dialogue aimed at liberalising important areas of trade before trade frictions reach the crisis point." , • The United States intended to be “very aggressive” in

ihonitoring Japanese compliance‘with both the letter and spirit of previous agreements concerning fruit and beef, and would push “whenever possible”'for even more access. A United States victory in dismantling almost any single agricultural trade barrier could be exploited by New, Zealand. United States scien-J tistST for example, pioneered access for United States cherries, giving New Zealand D.S.I.R. scientists hints on codling moth fumigation procedures which the Japanese would accept. ’ . v

The codling moth barrier still keeps out New Zealand and United States apples, but D.S.I.R. scientists are now devising test fumigation procedures to submit to the Japanese Ministry; of "Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. , Domestic' - fruit -growers, will likely wage*' a political .pjfotec-

Hohist battle if the foreign methods arc approved. Japan’s final screening on new' agricultural, imports takes the form of a publichearing to which the growers are invited. But the United States already has experience with such hearings, which coujd also guide New Zealand. Japanese ■ Government trade officials comment that despite settlement of the auto issue, United States pressure on Japan ’is to liberalise access for some of its 27 restricted import items, most of which are. agricultural products, .is still strong.

The international trade subcommittee of the House-Senate Joint Economic Committee held a hearing on June 17 on Japan-United States trade friction, which will be followed, the officials say, by a similar hearing on July 8 by the trade subcommittee of the Senate Finance. Committee.