Japanese House Urges Protection of Rice

The lower house of Japan’s Parliament on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution against further opening the nation’s rice market to foreign imports.

The resolution, passed in a plenary session of the 512-member House of Representatives, is not binding and is only an expression of the members, said a Parliament official who requested anonymity.

The action followed a petition filed Wednesday by U.S. rice producers seeking greater access to Japan’s protected rice market.

The U.S. Rice Millers’ Assn., in a petition filed with the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, claimed that Japan’s virtual ban on rice imports constitutes unfair trade practices. Under the U.S. trade act, such practices are subject to penalties. The trade representative must decide within 45 days whether to proceed with the case.

“Rice production is a major matter of concern for all Japanese as the basis of maintaining and developing a sound society,” the resolution says. It notes that rice production affects local communities, the preservation of land and Japanese culture.

The Japanese official said Parliament’s upper house, the House of Councillors, was expected to adopt a similar resolution today.

Officials have said Japan is willing to discuss rice imports at the Uruguay meeting of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the Geneva-based body that sets international trade rules and provides a forum for settling disputes.

In Japan, the government controls rice distribution by purchasing much of the grain directly from farmers at fixed prices and selling it to retailers at lower prices. But Japanese consumers still pay seven to eight times more for rice than do Americans, according to U.S. industry officials.