A Ministry of International Trade andIndustry (MITI) official denied a local news agency report that
Japan will end its seven-month-old semiconductor agreement with
the U.S. If Washington imposes tariffs on 300 mln dlrs worth of
Japanese electronic goods from April 17.
    Kyodo News Agency reported a high-ranking MITI official as
saying Japan would end the chip pact if the U.S. Implements the
punitive tariffs.
    Nothing new has been decided, the official said. As MITI
said on Saturday, Japan would only pursue its rights under the
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), he added.
 REUTER
