MEDIA REACTION - DOHA ROUND - TOKYO

UNCLAS TOKYO 001782 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR I/RF, PA/PR/FPC/W, IIP/G/EA, EAP/PD, R/MR, EAP/J, EAP/P, PM; USTR FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE; TREASURY FOR OASIA/IMI; SECDEF FOR OASD/PA; CP BUTLER OKINAWA FOR AREA FIELD OFFICE; PACOM HONOLULU FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ADVISOR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR KPAO JA SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - DOHA ROUND - TOKYO LEAD STORIES: Most Monday morning papers gave top play to the results of Sunday's Upper House by-elections in Okinawa and Fukushima Prefectures, as well as local races. Tokyo Shimbun also front-paged PM Abe's speech Sunday in Tokyo, in which he disclosed plans to discuss the abduction issue with President Bush during their meeting later this month in the US. ¶1. "WTO Negotiations: Japan Must Revitalize Agricultural Industry" The moderate Tokyo Shimbun editorialized (4/23): "Japan is being forced to import more agricultural products in exchange for expanding its industrial exports. This puts the foundations of the nation's food self-sufficiency at risk, so the GOJ will have to accelerate agricultural reforms and revitalize the Japanese agricultural industry. Moves are underway to get the Doha Round of WTO trade liberalization talks back on track, with cabinet-level officials meeting next month in Tokyo to seek points of compromise. The major players remain at loggerheads over a reduction in agricultural subsidies.... Tokyo's primary concern is tariff caps.... Their imposition would deal a devastating blow to Japan, which has a 778 percent protective tariff on rice. However, given Japan's longstanding position of calling on developing nations to reduce their own tariffs on industrial products, there is little likelihood that Japan will be able to make it through future trade talks unscathed." SCHIEFFER