Squaring Off Over ‘Good Old American Con Game’

Congratulations to Tim Rutten for his Jan. 30 column, “Japan Bashing and the ‘Good Old American Con Game.’ ”

It is time that someone other than self-serving politicians and hypocritical business people published some actual facts about our trade problem with Japan.

Unfortunately, most Americans are uninformed about this subject because many of us are headline readers and TV watchers and often are improperly influenced without taking the time, or being willing, to consider all the facts.

A good example is that some of my friends are not aware that Japan is the U.S.A.’s second-leading customer, after Canada, and buys more U.S. products than England, Germany and France put together; or that the Japanese drive on the left side of the street and their cars have right-hand drive, but American car manufacturers want them to buy oversize, left-hand drive cars with low efficiency and gear ratios that don’t meet the air pollution requirements of this very densely populated country.

Although I agree that Japan has its faults, I do believe we should admit ours and make a genuine effort to understand Japan’s problems so that our long-standing and important partnership with one of America’s most important customers and friends will benefit the people of both countries in the future.

As Rutten suggests, let’s not “con” the American people. Let’s be honest and fair. Otherwise, our problems could be much more serious in the future.

FRED THORNLEY

Fullerton