TRADE

U.S., Japan Reach Accord on Flat Glass: U.S. trade officials said a weekend agreement with Tokyo will help open Japan’s $4.5-billion flat-glass market to foreign companies and that Washington expects to see results within a year. U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor said Japan’s agreement to end discriminatory practices is “another step in the right direction” in resolving trade differences with the United States. “This agreement meets all our goals and is enthusiastically welcomed by our industry,” Kantor said in a statement. In Tokyo, Japanese Trade Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto said the agreement is significant because it avoids numerical targets.