Staff writer
Deregulation, as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Richard Fisher emphasized anew during his trip here last week, may help the ailing Japanese economy shift toward a sound market mechanism with a government that intrudes less into the people's lives and business activities.
However, are Japanese consumers ready to face the benefits and potential risks of a free market? The question has thrown the nation into a heated debate over proposals for a new consumer protection law designed to help consumers deal with growing problems involving contracts for goods and services.