Japan Forces Removal of U.S. Rice Sample

Japan’s Agriculture Ministry forced the U.S.A. Rice Council to remove rice samples on the final day of a food show Saturday, exhibition officials said.

They said the ministry told U.S. trade officials that displaying foreign rice in a business-oriented trade fair was a clear violation of Japan’s Food Control Law.

“Having now been threatened with arrest, we will remove the rice on the last day of the exhibition to help publicize this very regrettable behavior by the Japanese government,” said David Graves, president of the U.S. Rice Millers’ Assn.

The U.S.A. Rice Council had displayed rice samples at the trade fair since Tuesday, opening day of an annual international food fair in Chiba, east of Tokyo.

“It is ridiculous that Japan’s 10-million-ton rice industry should feel threatened by 10 pounds of American rice in a plastic case,” Council Vice President Jim Willis said.

Japan maintains a policy of banning commercial rice imports, saying it needs self-sufficiency in the staple on national security grounds.

Washington has asked Tokyo to open up its rice market.

“This is a very clear signal that Japan has no intention of negotiating seriously in the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) negotiations,” Graves said.

“We intend to return to Washington and appeal directly to the Administration and to Congress for help,” he added.

“We can no longer tolerate a Japan which has free access to the U.S. market for its billions of dollars of automobiles and electronics but refuses to even discuss the possibility of importing a few tons of U.S. rice.”

Under Japanese law, anyone found guilty of importing rice without ministry permission is liable to a prison term of up to two years or a fine of up to $22,000.