Tommy
Well-known member
Japan 'not ready to open food market'
BYLINE: By DAVID PILLING
DATELINE: TOKYO
BODY:
Japan has no intention of moving quickly to open up its market to foreign food imports in spite of hints from Junichiro Koizumi, prime minister, that Tokyo is considering important concessions in the interests of global free trade, the agriculture ministry says.
This month Mr Koizumi moved Shoichi Nakagawa from his position as trade minister to head the agriculture ministry, in what Toshihiro Nikai, his replacement at trade, said was a clear signal that the prime minister wanted the two ministries to work together in the interests of free trade.
In the past, trade ministry efforts to open up foreign markets for Japanese industrial goods have been undermined by infighting with the agriculture ministry, which sees its mission as protecting Japanese farmers and national food security.
Kenichi Ito, director-general for international affairs at the agriculture ministry, said the trade ministry continued to take an "unrealistic" position on free trade. Mr Nakagawa's move to agriculture did not herald any Trojan horse policy by which trade ministry policies on trade liberalisation were being smuggled into the more conservative agriculture ministry, he said.
Mr Ito said that Mr Nakagawa, who represents an agricultural constituency, had very little room for manoeuvre. If he made big concessions at next month's World Trade Organisation meeting in Hong Kong, he would need to come back to Japan and explain what he had done to the country's hard-pressed farmers, he said.
"Even Nakagawa can't change our position further," he said. "There are not many things he can do."
Mr Ito said US and Brazilian proposals on lowering agricultural tariffs were a non-starter. "If we accepted the US proposal, we would be deluged with foreign products and Japanese farmers would be wiped out.
"We are not saying we can't do anything more, but as long as the US or Brazil stick to their unrealistic demands, we can't start realistic talks."
The agriculture ministry says Japan is the world's biggest net importer of farm products with average tariffs lower than those in Europe. But it continues to protect sensitive areas such as rice, where tariffs are 700 per cent.
Trade ministry officials said there might be more room for manoeuvre than the farm ministry let on. "They can't say much for fear of giving their hand away in negotiations," said one. Of Mr Koizumi's apparent warming to the theme of trade liberalisation, the official said: "I've never thought he was an ardent believer in free trade, but he does think Japan has to be engaged."
BYLINE: By DAVID PILLING
DATELINE: TOKYO
BODY:
Japan has no intention of moving quickly to open up its market to foreign food imports in spite of hints from Junichiro Koizumi, prime minister, that Tokyo is considering important concessions in the interests of global free trade, the agriculture ministry says.
This month Mr Koizumi moved Shoichi Nakagawa from his position as trade minister to head the agriculture ministry, in what Toshihiro Nikai, his replacement at trade, said was a clear signal that the prime minister wanted the two ministries to work together in the interests of free trade.
In the past, trade ministry efforts to open up foreign markets for Japanese industrial goods have been undermined by infighting with the agriculture ministry, which sees its mission as protecting Japanese farmers and national food security.
Kenichi Ito, director-general for international affairs at the agriculture ministry, said the trade ministry continued to take an "unrealistic" position on free trade. Mr Nakagawa's move to agriculture did not herald any Trojan horse policy by which trade ministry policies on trade liberalisation were being smuggled into the more conservative agriculture ministry, he said.
Mr Ito said that Mr Nakagawa, who represents an agricultural constituency, had very little room for manoeuvre. If he made big concessions at next month's World Trade Organisation meeting in Hong Kong, he would need to come back to Japan and explain what he had done to the country's hard-pressed farmers, he said.
"Even Nakagawa can't change our position further," he said. "There are not many things he can do."
Mr Ito said US and Brazilian proposals on lowering agricultural tariffs were a non-starter. "If we accepted the US proposal, we would be deluged with foreign products and Japanese farmers would be wiped out.
"We are not saying we can't do anything more, but as long as the US or Brazil stick to their unrealistic demands, we can't start realistic talks."
The agriculture ministry says Japan is the world's biggest net importer of farm products with average tariffs lower than those in Europe. But it continues to protect sensitive areas such as rice, where tariffs are 700 per cent.
Trade ministry officials said there might be more room for manoeuvre than the farm ministry let on. "They can't say much for fear of giving their hand away in negotiations," said one. Of Mr Koizumi's apparent warming to the theme of trade liberalisation, the official said: "I've never thought he was an ardent believer in free trade, but he does think Japan has to be engaged."
