U.S. Must Toughen Stand on Japan, Kerrey Says

Democratic presidential contender Bob Kerrey strongly criticized Japan’s trade policies with the United States on Saturday, but also stressed that America’s political and business leaders must do more to reassert this nation’s role as a world economic power.

“I think we have to be prepared . . . to do more than just say to Japan: ‘You have to open up your markets,’ ” the Nebraska senator said in Los Angeles during a whirlwind day of political fund raising. “We have to open up our eyes to see there are things we can do today to open up our competitive position in the world” through new tax policies and investments in industrial technology.

Claiming that President Bush looked more like a “Chamber of Commerce president” than a world leader during his recent 12-day trade mission to Asia, Kerrey said he shared the disappointment of American business leaders who hoped that the mission would prod Japan toward policies that would help close the gap on its $41-billion annual trade surplus with the United States.

Like other critics of the trip’s results, Kerrey said Bush should have taken a tougher stand with Japan’s leaders.

“If I were President, I would tell Japan: ‘Look, the begging is over. If you want access to our markets, you have to give us access to yours, not because we are trying to bash you but because you are one of the top economic leaders in the world,’ ” Kerrey said.

Kerrey’s brief comments came before a fund-raising reception in Westwood that was sponsored by the Asian-American Coalition for Democratic Caucuses. The event was one of three planned Saturday in Los Angeles after a morning fund-raiser in San Diego.

Kerrey’s national finance chairman, Bob Burkette, would not say how much the campaign hoped to gain from the trip, but said the San Diego event raised $75,000. Burkette said Kerrey would not have visited Southern California now if he had expected to raise less than $150,000 for the New Hampshire primary next month.