WTO chief urges Japan to make concessions on tariff cuts

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TOKYO, Feb. 24 Kyodo -
World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy met with farm minister Shigeru
Ishiba on Tuesday and urged Japan to make concessions on tariff cuts for
agricultural products, saying Tokyo's position is not being accepted by other
WTO member economies, Japanese officials said.
Japan has sought to have at least 8 percent of all its farm products protected
as ''sensitive'' from sharp tariff cuts to ensure that most of its key farm
products such as rice will remain under high tariff protection.
But its position in the WTO talks is a difficult one as many member economies
appear to be converging under the latest WTO proposal, in which rich countries
will basically be allowed to designate up to 4 percent of their farm products
for protection from steep tariff cuts and to raise that proportion to up to 6
percent under certain conditions.
During the talks with WTO Director General Lamy in Tokyo, Ishiba, agriculture,
forestry and fisheries minister, repeated Japan's stance for protection from
sharp tariff cuts for 8 percent of all farm products.
Ishiba was quoted by the officials as telling to Lamy that various kinds of
agriculture should coexist and that a trade system should be established to
allow different farming cultures in each nation.
On the timing of the next ministerial meeting of the WTO, Lamy only said it
will depend on when the U.S. administration is ready, the officials said,
adding the two agreed on the need to fight protectionism.
Earlier in the day, Lamy also met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura
and the WTO chief expressed hope that Japan will contribute to a successful
conclusion of stalled free trade negotiations.
During the talks, Kawamura told Lamy that Japan will cooperate for progress in
the ongoing Doha Round talks but also said that the negotiations involve a
politically sensitive issue, the officials said.
Lamy said although he understands the difficult problems Japan is facing, he
also expects Tokyo, which benefits from global trade, to help work out the WTO
talks, indirectly pressing Japan to make some concessions in farm trade
liberalization talks.
The top government spokesman said Japan will support Lamy's initiative to
monitor protectionism and the WTO chief welcomed Tokyo's cooperation, the
officials said.
The Doha Round of WTO talks has been deadlocked repeatedly since its launch in
2001. The most recent failure was seen when the WTO canceled a ministerial
meeting in December due mainly to gaps between the United States and emerging
economies, such as China and India, over how to lower trade barriers in farm
and manufactured goods.
==Kyodo
2009-02-24 23:51:13