Yeutter Urges Japan to Stop Talking and Act

U.S. trade representative Clayton Yeutter today urged Japan to “implement rather than to discuss” measures to stimulate the domestic economy and promote imports to redress its huge trade surplus with the United States, government officials said.

Yeutter made the call in a meeting with Foreign Minister Tadashi Kuranari as he launched a week of high-level talks with Japanese officials to press U.S. demands that Japan open its market wider to imports.

“Now is the time for Japan to take action and implement rather than to discuss measures to expand domestic demand,” Yeutter was quoted as telling Kuranari during a 40-minute meeting at the Foreign Ministry.

“Frankly speaking, no effective steps were taken (by Japan) to expand domestic demand in the past one year,” Yeutter said.

Yeutter laid down a three-point demand that Japan increase imports, restructure its export-dependent economy and boost aid to developing and indebted nations, officials said.

Yeutter arrived in Tokyo on Sunday for trade talks with Japanese officials following a U.S. decision to implement $300-million worth of tariffs on Japan’s computers, power tools and other products in retaliation for its alleged violation of a trade agreement.