JAPAN

Parliament to Buy Buicks: Japan’s Parliament said last week that it is buying two Buicks as part of its effort to persuade reluctant Japanese to buy American cars. The two Buick Park Avenues, made by General Motors, will be the first foreign cars the Lower House has bought for official use since the Japanese car industry came into its own after World War II. A Japanese official said the purchases will be made to cooperate with the “action plan” announced during President Bush’s visit earlier this month to try to reduce Japan’s $38-billion trade surplus with the United States.