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Tokyo seeks to soothe US anger, reaffirms trade pledges
TOKYO. Jan 22: In a frantic stab at damage control. Japan sought Tuesday to soothe US anger over a senior politician s comment that lazy US workers are to blame for the countries' trade gap, reports AP.
Japanese leaders also quickly issued reassurances that Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa had not reneged on K* edges made during his
kyo summit with President Bush to increase Imports of US can and auto parts
"We have determined that we will sincerely accomplish each item which we have promised to do." Koichi Kato, the chief government spokesman, referring to targets to import 20,000 more US cars annually and roughly double US auto part imports to dlrs 10 billion.
US officials bristled after Miyazawa said Monday that the figures were a target rather than a firm promise.'
The controversial comments couldn't have come at a worse time for strained ds Japan relations, as American election year rhetoric heats up following President Bush's contentious visit
The Japanese government appeared particularly concerned over reported com menu by Yoshiro Sakurauchl. Speaker of the House of Representatives. that American workers are lazy and many can't read.
Sakurauchl. whose position as House speaker Is esteemed but carries little Influence, issued a statement Tuesday acknowledging his comments "were liable to cause misun derstandlng '
In the statement, read to foreign Journalists at a Foreign
Ministry news conference. he denied reports that he had described the United States as "Japan's subcontractor'or had said 30 per cent of the US
Foreign Minister Michio Watanabe, travelling in the United States. Issued a prepared statement saying he did not share Sakurauchi's re-P0? understand labor productivity of American workers In general Is quite high, as is the literacy rate." the statement said
Most Japanese television news, which largely Ignored Sakurauchi s comments ini-
play to American newscasts showing US autoworkers' angry reactions.
It is very regretful that (the remarks) were taken as if to disparage or slight American workers." the 79-year-old Sakurauchl said In his written statement