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  3. 1. American hopes that pressure from the U S will force Japan to suddenly dismantle its trade harriers are almost certain to eva

1. American hopes that pressure from the U S will force Japan to suddenly dismantle its trade harriers are almost certain to eva

admin2008-10-11  99
问题    1. American hopes that pressure from the U S will force Japan to suddenly dismantle its trade harriers are almost certain to evaporate in disappointment. The fact is that Washington faces an obstacle far more formidable than a few power brokers in Tokyo’s government offices. It must buck centuries-old, deeply ingrained Japanese customs. To move the Japanese government, Washington must move an entire nation.
   So far, the U S has had only limited success despite congressional threats to retaliate. In an April 9 nationwide broadcast, Prime Minster Yasuhiro Nakasone urged the Japanese to buy more imported goods and unveiled a long-awaited three-year plan to ease import restrictions. But his program was far short of what Washington hoped to see.
   White House Chief of Staff Donald Regan said the Japanese offered "few new or immediate measures." While the plan did promise fewer curbs on imports of telecommunications gear, medicine and medical equipment, it offered no relief for American forest products--which are among the most contentious trade issues.
   Nakasone gives every sign of being Sincere in his desire to reduce a Japanese surplus in trade with the U S that hit 36.8 billion dollars in 1984 and could soon top 50 billion. 2. Yet to rely on any one Japanese political leader, no matter how popular he is at home, to reverse trade policies is to underestimate the culture and traditions that weigh heavily against a breakthrough.
   Big business and dozens of anonymous bureaucrats have as much power as Japan’s top selected leaders.
   "The whole concept that we can turn this around right now is patently ridiculous, "says an American trader who has lived and worked here since 1952. "The vested interests are being shaken and slowly moved, but at a pace too slow for the eye to follow."     That view is echoed by a U S diplomat closely involved in the efforts to open Japanese markets to American goods, Washington’s stock solution to the ballooning trade imbalance.
   3. "Japan is a relationship society rather than a transactional society", he says. "You cannot alter that kind of a system with a television speech or a batch of general proposals, no matter how well-intentioned they are."
   Beyond specific tariffs of other official barriers to imports, experts here say that the U S faces these obstacles:
   Nearly total domination of the Japanese market by a few dozen giant conglomerates that strongly oppose even token competition--be it from abroad or emerging domestic firms.
   An elite, thickly layered bureaucracy that historically has drafted laws and regulations as well as enforced them, and both of these powers would be threatened by trade reforms.
   A longtime relationship between business and government that critics say fosters collusion and hinders foreign entry into domestic markets.
   Adamant support for import restrictions among Japanese farmers, one of the most powerful political forces.
   4. A highly developed sense of loyalty to established practices and relationships that often outweighs any "duty" to society as a whole or, in some cases, even personal best interest. Esteem for caution and consensus in decision-making at all societal levels and conversely, resentment of governmental fiats or one-man decrees--even if that man is the head of government.
    Compounding Washington’s problem is Nakasone’s weak position within his own party, the Liberal Democrats, who have ruled Japan for 30 years. His standing is so complex and fragile that he has been forced to yield all but three of 2l cabinet positions to rival political factions. His cabinet colleagues are far less committed than he is to trade reforms, making it difficult for the Prime Minister to muscle proposals through either the bureaucracy or the Diet, Japan’s parliament.
   The existence of "Japan, Inc." --the concept of an entire nation conspiring to advance economically at any cost--is a topic of debate among both Japanese and outsiders. But there is no dispute over how the system actually works.
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答案然而，不管日本任何一位政治领袖在国内是多么地深孚众望，依赖他彻底扭转贸易政策意味着低估对突破性进展产生很大影响的文化和传统。一些大企业和数十位不知名的官僚的权力像日本选举出来的上层领导人的权力一样大。1952年以来就在日本生活和工作的一位美国商人说：“目前要想使情况好转的想法显然是荒唐的，既得利益正被削弱并且逐渐地受到动摇，不过动摇的速度很慢，肉眼是无法察觉的。”
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