The government has found that domestic farmers suffered a financial loss around the same time that imports of three agricultural products currently subject to emergency import curbs surged, but it has refrained from assessing whether the two factors are linked, government officials said Wednesday.
In its probe into the feasibility of imposing safeguard import restrictions on leeks, shiitake and tatami straw, the government also found that many wholesalers believe domestic prices for the products have fallen as a result of the surge in imports, the officials said.
The government unveiled the findings in a Liberal Democratic Party committee meeting, but refrained from making an assessment before the conclusion of the yearlong probe, due Dec. 21.