I refer to your editorial of November 16 headlined, 'Trading impasse', in which without justification, you categ orically dismiss Japan as always having been, and I quote, 'one of the world's most protectionist nations'. Not only is this statement extremely unfair and misleading, but taken in the context in which it was issued - in relation to Japanese imports of forestry and fishery products - it is simply not true. First of all, Japan has been an active participant in successive rounds of trade liberalisation negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) - currently the World Trade Organisation (WTO) - and its average import tariff rate on industrial products, including forest and fishery products, stands at only 1.5 per cent, far lower than that of the United States (3.5 per cent) and the European Union (3.6 per cent). Japan is the single largest importer of forestry and fishery products in the world. Contrary to the accusation in your editorial, compared with other leading nations, Japan's import tariffs on these products are very favourable for foreign entry. For example, Japan's trade-weighted import tariff average for forestry products in 1997 was 1.7 per cent and this figure is actually expected to be reduced in 1999, to one per cent. This is considerably lower than the rates found in the US (2.3 per cent) and Australia (3.5 per cent). That said, Japan is also willing to participate in the upcoming WTO negotiations with comprehensive sector coverage, including the two sectors in question. The absence in your editorial of any reference to Japan's contribution to the current Asian financial crisis, which was quite naturally the priority for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) meetings in Kuala Lumpur, is also regrettable. Japan is striving to help its Asian neighbours overcome the crisis and thereby contribute to the stability of international financial markets. To this end, Japan has announced and is steadily implementing assistance to Asia amounting to a total of US$44 billion - the world's largest scale assistance made by one country. Further, under the Miyazawa Initiative, Japan is set to provide an additional package of support measures worth US$30 billion. These are undoubtedly difficult times for Asia, and a good deal of work must be done to get Asia back on its feet. For its part, Japan will continue to strive to sort out its own financial difficulties, while at the same time offering assistance to its Asian neighbours. KAZUTOKI NEGISHI Director Japan Information and Cultural Centre Consulate-General of Japan
