Japan’s agriculture minister will confer in Washington...

Japan’s agriculture minister will confer in Washington in search of a “realistic solution” to a dispute over U.S. beef and citrus imports. “I will try to find a realistic solution to the dispute in a manner befitting peaceful negotiations between friendly nations,” Takashi Sato said before his departure. “The situation remains severe but it is my duty to try to find a breakthrough.” Japan and the United States have been deadlocked over Washington’s demand that Tokyo remove import quotas on U.S. beef and oranges or face a ruling by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the multilateral trade arbitration body based in Geneva.