The United States is ready to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization over access to the Japanese telecommunications market if Tokyo continues ignoring its calls to substantially cut Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.'s interconnection fees.
Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Richard Fisher on Monday urged Japan to compromise to break the impasse over the issue when the two countries hold a sub-Cabinet-level meeting in Tokyo next week on deregulation.
However, if the meeting produces no tangible results, Washington would consider taking the case to the Geneva-based WTO, Fisher said.
"The road to Geneva starts and ends in Tokyo. If they want to go down that road, then we drive down that road. If they want to do what's right, then there's no need to go to Geneva," Fisher said, referring to his forthcoming meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Yoshiji Nogami.