About 30 years ago, diplomatic documents released on the 21st revealed the inside story of negotiations between the leaders of Japan and the United States over rice.
It is said that when Prime Minister Kaifu at the time was pressed by President Bush to accept "tariffization" to import rice from the United States, he refused, saying, "I cannot accept it," citing opposition from within Japan. That's it.
The diplomatic documents that have been released record the content of Prime Minister Kaifu's visit to the United States and his meeting with President Bush in July 1991, when the GATT-Uruguay Round negotiations to discuss trade liberalization were still underway.
Regarding the opening of the rice market, President Bush said, "The United States supports tariffs," and it was understood that he was pressuring Japan to accept "tariffs" to import rice from the United States. .
In response, Prime Minister Kaifu refused, saying, "Even if the United States asks us to do so, we cannot accept it, and the answer must be negative."
▽ Tariffization requires revision of the law, and all political parties are opposed to
rice
imports; I'm citing reasons why I'm against it.
On the other hand, in the margin of the document, a handwritten note reads, "Non-existent record, not even the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries."
In a series of negotiations that lasted until 1994, three years later, Japan accepted a "minimum access" policy in which a certain amount of rice from the United States and other countries was compulsorily imported instead of tariffizing rice.
Takashi Shinobu, a professor at Nihon University who specializes in the history of Japan-U.S. diplomacy, said, "I think Prime Minister Kaifu was willing to accept 'minimum access' in the series of negotiations for the Uruguay Round, but President Bush asked for tariffs during the talks. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, related legislators, and the public may have hardened their attitudes and thought that the scenario they had drawn would collapse."
What is a diplomatic document
Once a year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes documents that are more than 30 years old and that are deemed to have historical significance, are safe to publish, and are of high public interest.
The diplomatic documents released this time are 6877 pages created in 1991 and are contained in a total of 19 files.
The document includes public telegrams that were treated as top secret, but some of them, such as the names of people who are still sources of information for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are still considered to have an impact on diplomatic negotiations. Some are painted black.
The published documents will be posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website from the 21st, and the originals can be viewed at the Diplomatic Archives.