Visiting U.S. Commerce Secretary Norman Mineta told his Japanese counterpart Wednesday that Washington wants a new bilateral agreement to increase American auto and auto parts exports to Japan, according to a Japanese official.
In a Tokyo meeting with Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Takeo Hiranuma, Mineta stressed the need for a trade pact similar to the one concluded in 1995.
Mineta, who will be switching posts to become transportation secretary under the nascent George W. Bush administration, cited the difficulty facing U.S. manufacturers that want to penetrate the Japanese auto market and the growing trade imbalance in the sector between the two countries, the ministry official said.