U.S.-Japan Rice Spat: U.S. farm trade officials...

U.S.-Japan Rice Spat: U.S. farm trade officials ignored Japanese government protests and refused to remove rice samples from a trade show near Tokyo despite warnings that the display is illegal. Japanese officials had angrily ordered U.S. Agricultural Trade Office and U.S. Embassy officials to remove the exhibit from the Foodex international fair in Chiba. They said displaying the U.S.-grown rice at a business-oriented fair violated Japan’s Food Control Law, which bans imports of rice under pain of jail terms and heavy fines. Washington is campaigning for reform of the law, which imposes a near-total ban on rice imports.