Ashamed at His Results in U.S., Nakasone Says

Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, clarifying earlier remarks, said today that meetings with President Reagan last week made some progress in easing trade friction but that he felt ashamed that he had not accomplished more.

Nakasone, who returned Tuesday from the two-day meeting, also indicated his readiness for his next battle in the Diet, or Parliament, as he continues a fight to salvage his shaky political career.

“There was some progress in several issues to strengthen U.S.-Japan relations,” Nakasone told members of the upper house Budget Committee in a session that was televised in part and translated for the Associated Press.

“But I feel (it is) regrettable that sufficient results did not come out of the meeting as expected,” Nakasone said. “I made utmost efforts.”

The Kyodo News Service reported that Nakasone objected to that translation of his remarks, telling a later committee session:

Cites ‘Incorrect’ Reporting

“The yen rose 1 yen (against the dollar today) because a foreign wire service reported incorrectly my statement about the U.S. trip. I had stated I felt ashamed as to whether I had fully met the people’s expectations, but a foreign wire service incorrectly reported my word as regrettable. “

There had been hopes in Japan that Nakasone might persuade Reagan to lift $300-million worth of sanctions imposed on Japanese goods in April.

Nakasone told committee members that the United States pledged to end the sanctions, imposed in retaliation for Japan’s alleged failure to abide by a 1986 semiconductor agreement, “as early as possible.”

But he added that Reagan is “in a sensitive position” because of protectionist sentiment in Congress.