Japan Farmers Burn U.S. Oranges in Trade Protest

Japanese farmers smashed and burned an American car, torched boxes of U.S. oranges and set fire to an American flag in a rally Saturday protesting U.S. demands that Japan end its restrictions on imported beef and oranges.

Three members of Japan’s Parliament, including former Vice Minister of Agriculture Seishiro Eto, attended the rally in the town of Kokonone in Kyushu in western Japan.

The violence came as U.S. negotiators ended a week of meetings on trade with no new agreements. A U.S. trade representative Saturday left for the United States after failing to persuade Japan to drop import quotas on citrus and beef.

“The two sides remain very far apart, said Michael B. Smith, deputy trade representative. “My own opinion is that we moved further apart,” he told a news conference at the American Embassy before his departure.

Smashed American Car

About 300 farmers chanted “Down with U.S. demands” while a man jumped onto an American car and smashed its windows with a large hammer.

The farmers, wearing headbands saying “Protect Japanese agriculture,” then piled boxes of U.S. oranges on the car and set it on fire along with a large American flag.

Kyodo News Service said the farmers destroying the U.S. car were following the example of U.S. congressmen who smashed a tape recorder made by Japan’s Toshiba Corp. in July last year.

The congressmen were protesting sales of high-technology milling machines to the Soviet Union by a Toshiba subsidiary.

Smith said the two sides differ on three important issues: Japan wants a transition period before it fully opens its market; it wants to negotiate the level of foreign access during the transition, and, after the market is open, Japan wants new or additional “border measures” such as tariffs to protect its markets.

Smith said Washington would agree to a transition period as long as Japan reciprocates by significantly increasing foreign access to its markets.

Talks to Continue

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Takashi Sato will leave for Washington this week to continue the talks, Smith said.

Japanese newspapers said Saturday that the government has decided to liberalize Japan’s beef imports in three years and orange imports in five years to help defuse trade friction with the United States, its main ally and trading partner. In exchange, Japan would impose a surcharge on American beef and allow imports to increase by about 15% a year, according to the Mainichi Daily News.