Australia and other farm-exporting states offered sharp criticism Monday of a Japanese proposal on global farm trade in talks sponsored by the World Trade Organization.
They accused Japan of pushing nontrade concerns at the negotiating table.
Japan's proposal refers to agriculture's "multifunctionality," a term Japanese negotiators coined in an attempt to protect the farm industry.
That stance, an Australian delegate said at a special WTO meeting Monday, "raises questions as to whether Japan is prepared to engage seriously in discussion on the agreed long-term objective of reform of agricultural trade."