Observations on U.S.-Japan Trade and Financial Relations

T-NSIAD-88-51: Published: Sep 27, 1988. Publicly Released: Sep 27, 1988.

Additional Materials:

Contact:

Office of Public Affairs
(202) 512-4800
youngc1@gao.gov

GAO discussed trade and financial relations between the United States and Japan, focusing on: (1) the impact of the Market-Oriented Sector-Selective (MOSS) talks on Japanese trading practices and policies; and (2) U.S. firms' concerns regarding Japanese market access. GAO noted that the MOSS talks: (1) addressed trading concerns in the telecommunications, electronics, medical equipment, forestry products, and automotive parts sectors; (2) eliminated several restrictive trading practices, eased product testing, approval, and licensing requirements, reduced tariffs, established intellectual property protection for original designs, and increased information exchange; (3) led to fairer treatment of U.S. products in the Japanese market, although significant barriers to market access remained; and (4) were influenced by timing, market barriers, and the degree of compatibility between U.S. and Japanese interests. GAO also noted that: (1) Japanese financial institutions' interest-rate controls and restrictive access to low-cost deposits affected U.S. firms' abilities to compete; and (2) U.S. financial institutions believed that they received the same treatment as Japanese institutions in some areas, but also reported a lack of access to certain financial sectors.

Mar 20, 2019

Mar 19, 2019

Mar 6, 2019

Mar 1, 2019

Feb 28, 2019

Feb 27, 2019

Jan 17, 2019

Jan 4, 2019

Dec 27, 2018

Looking for more? Browse all our products here