TOKYO : U.S. Apples, Anyone?

The Washington State Apple Commission will pass out free samples on street corners in downtown Tokyo on Thursday, seeking to promote sales in Japan of U.S. apples, which are now being imported for the first time after years of pressure from the United States.

This year, 13,000 tons of Golden Delicious and Red Delicious apples are expected to be shipped to Japan from Washington state, the top American producer. The apples come from certified disease-free orchards and must be held for 55 days of low-temperature sterilization before arriving in Japan.

Japan opened its apple market to foreign imports in 1971, but in practice it kept out virtually all imports on the grounds that they might carry pests or diseases such as fire blight. U.S. critics said the real goal was to protect Japanese apple farmers from lower-priced competition.