A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has urged President Bill Clinton to negotiate a "new and stronger agreement" on autos and auto parts with Tokyo, saying the 1995 Japan-U.S. pact has failed to significantly expand sales of such U.S.-made products in Japan.
The petition, disclosed to the press Tuesday, came in the form of a letter dated July 31 and signed by 19 senators.
"The 1995 Framework Agreement on Autos and Auto Parts between the United States and Japan . . . has not accomplished its stated objectives to significantly expand sales opportunities resulting in purchases of foreign parts by Japanese firms in Japan and through their transplants in the U.S.," the senators said in the letter.
The letter called on Clinton to secure new Japanese commitments to remove what it described as Japanese auto trade barriers and deregulate "Japan's convoluted and discriminatory auto parts safety inspection process."