AAMA President and CEO Issues Statement in Response to Comments by Japan's Ambassador to the United States
30 July 1997
AAMA President and CEO Issues Statement in Response to Comments by Japan's Ambassador to the United StatesWASHINGTON, July 30 -- The following statement was issued by Andrew H. Card, Jr., President and CEO of the American Automobile Manufacturers Association, in response to comments by Kunihiko Saito, Japan's ambassador to the United States, that U.S. criticisms of Japan's automotive trade policies are "groundless and regrettable." "Auto exports from Japan have surged, U.S. auto exports to Japan have declined, and the opening of Japan's automobile dealer network has stalled. Most significantly, Japan's trade surplus with the United States and the rest of the world is once again a growing problem. U.S.-Japan automotive trade relations are deteriorating. "We are concerned that the Japanese Government's commitment to opening its market to imported autos and auto parts has disappeared. "Just two years after the 1995 bilateral auto agreement and following serious efforts by American and other importers to expand sales in Japan, we seem to be headed right back to where we started. The Japanese Government appears to be sliding into its old pattern of protecting its market and denying Japanese consumers greater vehicle choices, unwilling or unable to take seriously its commitment to market opening. "Rather than denying the obvious, the Japanese Government should be working to guarantee its consumers the kinds of choices and opportunities enjoyed by consumers in other nations." SOURCE American Automobile Manufacturers Association