Montana Insurance

In an important step for USA, Japanese and American negotiating agreements driver’s license today to open insurance markets-Japan, glass and medical and telecommunications equipment communication in a sense, he agrees that the increase in U.S. exports in the second in the world of the economy.

But all night in negotiations for a U.S. deadline is not an agreement on strengthening the Japanese purchases of American cars and auto parts, with two-thirds of Japan’s $ 60 billion in trade with the USA . President Clinton responded by immediately carrying out its threat to the opening of a limited trade sanctions against Japan for not opening its market for car parts, as he himself has expressed satisfaction with trafficking was impressed.

The sanctions, but requires a 12 - 18 months the period of examinations and consultations tougher tariffs are imposed, Japanese exports to the USA. Following the proposed sanctions are not afraid to disrupt relations between the two countries, or rattle financial markets.

Indeed, the U.S. dollar, which has steadily slid over the Japanese yen since early 1993, it is expected that the strengthening of following the agreement reached today, it is necessary that the reduction a large part of trade tension between Washington and Tokyo.

Opening of four lucrative sectors of the relatively closed Japanese market, business often culminates 15 months of bitter negotiations between Washington and Tokyo. If control agreements, as written, they can be considered as one of the most important breakthroughs in US-Japanese trade relations since the Second World War.

The deal with Japan furthermore, it should be easy for President Clinton to win approval of a World Congress trade agreements, General on Tariffs and Trade agreement, which is now before Congress. The agreement to lower barriers throughout the world.

Many analysts of trade and industry representatives indicated that she thought the package was a coup for the USA in general and for U.S. companies in particular. But they felt that the Japanese, by its promise to contribute so far, progress in access and distribution in the areas of insurance, glass and government, heads of purchases of medical care and telecommunications equipment.

The Clinton administration may, finally, to a certain extent, tangible results from its strategy get tough Japan.

“This is certainly an asset for the USA trade policy,” said Clyde V. Presto joke Jr., President of the Economic Strategy Institute, a research group financed in part by U.S. companies and automobile insurance companies, which long for a hard-nosed trade policy with Japan.

“This transaction provides two things,” said Presto joke, a former trade USA responsible for negotiators. “One is the recognition on all sides, that the Japanese market has structural barriers that need ‘attention. Secondly, there is an implied obligation of Japan to address these obstacles in the way that can be measured. ”

He added: “It is regrettable that they are not, on cars, but no less than Bill Clinton, what happens so often in the past.”

The failure, but to reach agreement on cars is a big hole in the package. It is true that U.S. officials are less and less with the sale of American cars and car parts of origin after Japan because it has increased in recent years, thanks to increased efforts by U.S. producers sell to the Japanese - although the sales figures remain very low.

But U.S. automakers are still frozen in the Japanese market for car parts replaced. The actions toward sanctions, which Mr. Clinton announced today at the opening of this sector, which is strictly controlled by the Japanese government provisions.

The fact that the president of his vow at the beginning of the process, since the introduction of trade sanctions in Japan, for their failure to move the repair of car parts, keeps pressure on Tokyo concessions envisaged in the future discussions on this subject.

Still, the ultimate value of the entire package can be evaluated according to several years. Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana and chairman of the Senate subcommittee of international trade, said he was “disappointed that Japan is not harmful for the elimination of barriers to trade in automobiles and parts car. ”

He added: “I’ll see how closely the implementation” in other sectors.

This latest round of negotiations began at 3 pm Friday on the side of the conference room representatives of Commerce USA, Mickey Kantor. For the next 20 hours Trade Ministers Ryutaro Hash imoto and Foreign Minister Yohei Kono was the day the team to ensure shuttling wrestlers of the conference room to Mr. Kantor’s Bureau of proposals, proposals and against other languages.

Mr. Kantor was closeted with his top deputies, Charlene Barshefsky and Ira Wolf.

Finally, shortly after 11 am, a bleary-eyed Mr. Kantor sealed the deal with Mr. Berger and Mr. Kono, with a handshake and expressions of goodwill resulted in an exhausted U.S. government translators, officials said.

The key breakthrough came with Japan an agreement to accept indicators that would measure “progress” in opening their markets, promises the Americans without a market share.