Japanese Marketers Fight Back as U.S. Meat Imports Reach Record Levels : Commerce: ‘Superpig’ character urges consumers to reject American pork in favor of domestic brands.

A cartoon pig plastered on magazines and televisions across Japan is leading a drive to get consumers there to switch to domestic pork.

The swine super-hero’s nemesis? Imported pork and beef.

Unfortunately, Japan’s “Superpig” may be fighting a losing battle. Asian consumers have shown an almost insatiable appetite for imported pork and beef, particularly the leaner, high-quality meat exported from the United States.

That demand, coupled with a mounting effort by U.S. manufacturers to sell products to Japan, boosted U.S. pork and beef exports to record levels during the first six months of the year, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation, an industry trade group in Denver. U.S. pork exports to Japan rose 45% to 58.576 million metric tons worth $259.6 million, the group said. Meanwhile, U.S. beef exports to Japan rose 16%, and the United States for the first time surpassed Australia as the No. 1 beef supplier to the Asian nation.

“The U.S. is the most competitive meat producer, whether it be pork, beef or chicken, in the world,” said Niko Sakaniwa, marketing manager with Marubeni America, a subsidiary of Japan’s import-export behemoth Marubeni Corp.

For Japan, Superpig may be able to save the day, thanks to an unlikely sidekick: “Supertariff.”

Under rules agreed to under the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariff and Trades, Japan is allowed to increase its tariffs on beef and pork if imports cross a certain level.

Beef imports passed the threshold this summer, and earlier this month Japan increased its tariff by 1.8%. Still, that’s not enough to significantly stem the flow of U.S. beef into the country, analysts say.

Pork, though, is a different story. If pork imports rise too sharply, Japan can slap a tariff as high as 24%, enough to severely slow the inflow of pork.

The tariff increase could come as early as October if imports through Sept. 30 pass the threshold. Analysts and trade watchers said it already has, and industry officials hope there’s another path to take besides tariffs.

“The Japanese feel compelled to meet their safeguard commitments under the new GATT agreement,” said Phillip Seng, president of the U.S. meat federation. “They are also very interested in minimizing its impact on Japanese consumers and traders, so there is hope that we can find some middle ground.”

While U.S. pork and beef exports have risen steadily for the past five years, they’ve only begun their explosive growth during the past 18 months.

Asia has become the top export market for U.S. pork and beef, both in volume and price. Not only are Asian consumers buying more U.S. pork and beef, they are consuming the expensive middle meat cuts such as pork chops and chilled pork strips.

Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea make up three of the five largest markets for U.S. pork this year, according to the U.S. meat federation.

In South Korea, the United States got a boost in its efforts to market U.S. beef and pork to the Asian nation when Seoul last month eased its restrictions on the import of U.S. pork.

In what will further boost U.S. business in South Korea, the two countries settled a longstanding trade dispute by increasing the length of time chilled beef could be transported before it was deemed not fresh enough for the Korean market.

“The resolution of the shelf-life issue will help,” said Jeff Oates, director of communications for the U.S. meat group in Denver.

Mexico was the third-largest export market for U.S. pork, accounting for $13 million in sales during the first six months of 1995. Still, pork shipments have dropped 42% as last December’s peso devaluation and Mexico’s recession slowed U.S. exports there.

The second-largest export market for U.S. pork is Russia, with $61 million in first-half purchases, and it’s the fastest growing market for U.S. pork exports.

Still, there’s no sign of a “Superpigski” bursting on the scene to beat back the imports. “This is really the first year the U.S. has targeted Russia as a market,” Oates said.