Kaifu Denies Giving Bush Trade Promise : Economics: Japan’s prime minister says he made no specific commitments during summit with the President.

Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu said today that he made no specific promises on trade issues at his weekend summit with President Bush, de-emphasizing his vow in California to “tackle structural reforms” in Japan.

“I did not make any promise on any specific issues,” Kaifu said in private meetings with leaders of his Liberal Democratic Party, according to several news reports.

“I did not make any promise on the Structural Impediments Initiative or semiconductors,” he reportedly said, referring to two subjects of current trade talks with the United States.

“We did not try to negotiate or arrive at any special agreement,” Kaifu later said in response to questions in the Diet, the Japanese Parliament. “We did not touch at all on (specific trade issues).”

When Kaifu spoke in the United States, he glossed over the lack of specific promises and instead emphasized the general commitments made.

In summing up the two-day summit with Bush in Palm Springs, Kaifu said, “I am determined to firmly tackle structural reforms of Japan as one of the top priorities of my new Cabinet.”

Kaifu ran into a storm of criticism at home that he had promised too much to Bush and could not deliver.

Officials at the Finance Ministry and Ministry of International Trade and Industry quickly moved to lower expectations about possible movement in trade talks with the United States, saying the changes will have to be made slowly.

The secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party denied that Kaifu made any commitments.

“Talking and making commitments are different things,” said Ichiro Ozawa, the top party administrator.

Kaifu’s critics said he failed to build the consensus needed at home before making promises to Bush.

“You made promises without making the necessary preparations at home,” said Socialist Party Chairwoman Takako Doi, who advocates protecting certain Japanese markets from foreign competition.

“Did you tell Bush in clear terms that Japan is against rice imports?” Doi asked as she questioned Kaifu in the Diet.

“The United States is willing to have a dialogue with us. Do you really believe dialogue is bad?” Kaifu asked Doi.

“To avoid going backward, we must continue cooperating,” Kaifu said. “I would like to ask for the help and understanding of the whole nation in doing so.”

The United States has asked Kaifu to remove such deep-seated barriers to imports as Japan’s complex distribution system.