U.S. Agriculture Secretary Richard Lynghas asked Japan to open its farm market further to help
Washington cut its trade deficit and ease protectionist
pressures, an Agriculture Ministry official told reporters.
    Hideo Maki, Director General of the ministry's Economic
Affairs Bureau, quoted Lyng as telling Agriculture Minister
Mutsuki Kato that the removal of import restrictions would help
Japan as well as the United States.
    The meeting with Kato opened a 12-day visit to Japan by
Lyng, who is here to dicuss farm trade.
    However, Maki quoted Kato as replying that Japan was
already the world's largest grain importer.
    Kato added Japan is the largest customer for U.S. Grain and
depended on domestic output for only 53 pct of its food
requirements in 1985.
    Lyng said the U.S. Put high priority on talks on 12 farm
products named in U.S. Complaints against Japan to the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) last year, as well as on
beef, citrus products and rice.
    Kato said Japan will maintain its current level of
self-sufficiency and will try not to produce surplus rice
because potential production is higher than domestic demand.
    The world farm market suffers from surpluses because of
rising production by exporting countries, he added.
    Lyng said the U.S. Has been trying to reduce farm product
output with expensive programs, Maki said.
    Maki said the U.S. And Japan will hold detailed discussions
on each trade item as well as a new round of GATT trade talks
at a meeting on April 20, in which U.S. Trade Representative
Clayton Yeutter will join.
 REUTER
