Marcy Kaptur: “after 14 frustrating years of Japanese obstruction in the marketplace and at the negotiating table, the United States…”

“after 14 frustrating years of Japanese obstruction in the marketplace and at the negotiating table, the United States Government at last seems to be getting tough on trade, and it is about time. I strongly support the Clinton administration's insistence on measurable, enforceable results instead of more talk. In fact, no deal is better than another bad deal. The Japanese trade gap with the United States rang in at over $131 billion, the largest ever. And the merchandise part of that, manufacturing, jumped about 10 percent to more than $56 billion. That means even more lost jobs in our manufacturing sector. If current trends continue, the 1993 auto-parts deficit of $11 billion will be topped by a $12.2 billion deficit in 1994, according to the U.S. Commerce Department's latest forecast. These figures are directly related to Japan's pattern, unique among major industrial nations, of minimal market access for foreign manufactured goods.”