Commerce Secretary C. William Verity said the...

Commerce Secretary C. William Verity said the United States plans to retaliate against Japan for not allowing U.S. construction companies to compete for public works projects. “The culture of the Japanese is a closed society. We’ve got to help them open it,” said Verity on NBC-TV’s “Today.” He declined to tell what measures would be taken or when, saying, “I don’t believe it’s wise to throw your strategy out before the event happens, but there are many ways we can retaliate, and we will. . . . We’re going to use whatever’s available to us to get Japan into the world trading market,” Verity said. Late last week, the House of Representatives voted for a ban on Japanese participation in public works projects in the United States. The measure was an amendment to a $587-million appropriations bill.