2005/10/27(Thu)
「Nelson concerned Japanese will continue beef ban」
というIndeopendent.com
の記事の紹介なのだが、ここでは、Ben Nelsonアメリカ上院議員が、記者会見の中で、火曜日の朝に、加藤良三駐米大使からもらった書簡を披露して、その中で、加藤大使は、「来週、日本では、日米の牛肉のリスクを比較し、アメリカの牛肉のリスクは、非常に小さいとの結論を考えている。」と、書簡に書いており、また、加藤大使は、「1週間のパブリックコメントの後に、11月中旬の小泉・ブッシュ会談で、牛肉輸入再開の結論をだす。」ともいったとしている。
Ben Nelsonアメリカ上院議員の言うに、「このことは、先々週、加藤大使が私のオフィスに来たときに、口頭で話したことと、一致する。」として「加藤大使によれば、この決定を市民に知らしめるには、4週間かかると、いった。」としている。
また、Ben Nelsonアメリカ上院議員によれば、加藤大使は、この書簡の中で、『牛肉輸入再開は、重要である。』といっているという。
Ben Nelsonアメリカ上院議員は、この加藤大使の書簡によれば、牛肉輸入再開は有望であるとしている。
しかし、一方、AP通信によれば、日本は、牛肉輸入再開後に、アメリカの検査施設を検査するとの岩永農林水産大臣の発言報道があり、政府調査団からコメントでは、輸入再開が遅れるとのコメントもあるとしている。
また、加藤大使は、Chuck Hagel 上院議員から、金曜日、ネブラスカのフィードロットと牛肉加工処理場の見学の招待を受けている。
加藤大使は、小泉・ブッシュ会談に先立って、来月、ネブラスカを訪問するという。
Ben Nelsonアメリカ上院議員は、火曜日に、加藤大使とコンタクトを取って、アメリカ議会内の対日経済制裁の動きについて触れ、これ以上の牛肉輸入再開についての何らかの遅れがあれば、制裁発動抑止の手立てはないとしている。
以上が、Ben Nelsonアメリカ上院議員の記者会見での発言ですが、なんやら、加藤駐米大使も、出すぎた真似をしているようですね。
サイン・インをしないと読めない記事ですので、以下に原文を転記しておきます。
Nelson concerned Japanese will continue beef ban
Japan’s insistence on inspecting U.S. facilities still could be a sticking point
By Robert Pore
robert.pore@theindependent.com
News reports from Japan Tuesday that the Japanese may not reopen their markets to U.S. beef next month have Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., concerned that the nearly two-year-long ban on U.S. beef will continue into a third year.
During a press conference with reporters Tuesday, Nelson said the news conflicts with a letter he received that morning from Japanese Ambassador Ryozo Kato outlining a timetable for the reopening of the Japanese markets to U.S. beef.
He said Kato’s letter said that the Japanese will conduct a meeting next week to consider a conclusion that BSE-risk in U.S. beef, compared to the same in Japanese beef, is very small.
Kato said they will allow one week of public comments and then adopt a conclusion around the time that President Bush meets with Prime Minster Junichiro Koizumi in mid-November.
“This is consistent with the timetable that Ambassador Kato provided me verbally in a meeting the week before last in my office,” Nelson said. “Then, according to the ambassador, Japan will take four weeks to educate their citizens on the decision. The letter states that the resuming of beef trade is important.”
He said the letter was the most “encouraging sign yet” that the Japanese markets will soon reopen for U.S. beef products.
But Nelson said he is concerned about other reports to the contrary.
According to The Associated Press, the Japanese government must be allowed to inspect meat processing facilities in the United States after Tokyo lifts its two-year ban on imports of American beef, said Japanese Agricultural Minister Mineichi Iwanaga Tuesday.
The comments came after a government panel on mad cow disease on Monday delayed a decision on whether to declare U.S. beef imports safe, despite drafting a report that the risk from American beef is very low, The Associated Press reported.
The ban was imposed after the detection of the first case of mad cow disease in an American cow in December 2003. In 2003 Japan bought about $1.5 billion worth of U.S. beef.
Iwanaga said that Japan should ensure firsthand that proper safety steps will be in place on the U.S. side once the ban is lifted.
Kato has accepted an invitation from Sen. Chuck Hagel to visit Nebraska on Friday to visit a feedlot and a beef processing plant.
Negotiations continue between the United States and Japan to reopen the Japanese market to U.S. beef. After a cow of Canadian origin tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, in Washington state in December 2003, Japan and other countries around the world banned the importation of U.S. beef products.
The Japanese ambassador’s visit to Nebraska precedes President Bush’s visit with Koizumi next month.
Nelson said he had contacted Kato Tuesday to let him know that the signals are conflicting and this will “only exacerbate the problem and lead some in Congress to seek trade sanctions against Japan.”
Nelson said so far he has resisted calls for sanctions against Japan for not reopening its borders to U.S. beef.
“I think that once you start a trade war, I don’t know how you end it,” he said.
But he has sponsored legislation that would not allow Japanese beef imports into the United States until Japan has lifted its ban against U.S. beef.
If there’s another delay by the Japanese government to reopen its borders to U.S. beef, Nelson said, “I don’t see where there’s many other options other than some sort of trade sanction.”
And those sanctions must have a bite so the Japanese will notice.
“I certainly don’t think you can impose sanctions that have no impact,” he said. “If you’re going to engage in sanctions, I think you have to hit ‘em where it hurts.”
Nelson said it’s time for the Japanese to end the embargo and not find another way to delay it again.
“This process has been two years long,” he said. “It’s ridiculous that it’s gone this long. I’m tired of their bureaucracy. I have never seen anything quite this way since I’ve been here, and if we have to take stronger actions, I’m certainly going to be open to it.”
A bipartisan bill that would impose tariffs on Japanese products if Japan doesn’t drop its ban on U.S. beef by Dec. 31 will be introduced today in the Senate by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D.
The bill would allow the U.S. trade representative to decide on tariffs on Japanese products.
追記 2005/10/27 10月26日アメリカ上院議会提出の対日経済制裁法案の名称と賛同上院議員一覧
アメリカ議会が、日本の牛肉輸入再開の遅れを不満として、このたび、上院議会に提出された日本への経済制裁法案の中身が明らかになった。
下記のとおりである。
1．法案の名称「A bill to authorize appropriate action if negotiations with Japan to allow the resumption of United States beef exports are not successful, and for other purposes. 」(法案番号 S.1922 )
2.提出日 2005年10月26日
3.提出上院議員 Sen Conrad, Kent [ND]
4.賛同上院議員20人 [ ]内 は、選出州名
Allard, Wayne [CO] Sen Baucus, Max [MT] Bond, Christopher S. [MO] Brownback, Sam [KS] Burns, Conrad R. [MT] Chambliss, Saxby [GA] Coleman, Norm [MN] Cornyn, John [TX] Craig, Larry E. [ID] Crapo, Mike [ID] Dorgan, Byron L. [ND Enzi, Michael B. [WY] Johnson, Tim [SD] Lincoln, Blanche L. [AR] Reid, Harry [NV] Roberts, Pat [KS] Salazar, Ken [CO] Talent, Jim [MO] Thomas, Craig [WY] Thune, John [SD]
5．審議状況 2005年10月26日に、上院委員会に付託。財務委員会に再付託。
この対日経済法案の内容は、このサイトまたは、このサイトに記載されている。
内容的には、前段は、以前の対日経済制裁法案(法案番号は、上院がS.RES.87−3月17日提出、下院がH.RES.137-3月3日提出)と同じだが、今回の上院での対日経済制裁法案(法案番号S1922、10月26日提出)は、結論部分に、「2005年12月31日までに」と、日にちを区切っている点が、これまでになかったことである。
概略、次のとおりである。
「あらゆる他の法にかかわらず、アメリカ通商代表は、2005年12月15日までに、アメリカ議会に対して、「日本は、もはや、アメリカからの牛肉輸入を禁止していない。」との認証について、諮問をすること。
もし、この認証が、2005年12月31日までに、米議会に対して、なされない場合には、日本から輸入される製品に対して、追加関税を課すること。
この追加関税については、毎年31億4千万ドル相当額、輸入商品に対して課せられること。
上記認証が米議会に提出されたときをもって、この追加関税の税務執行は、終了すること。
この法律の施行に当たっては、農務長官は、米通商代表と、協議しつつ、日本との交渉に当たること。」
なお、原文は、下記のとおりである。
A BILL
To authorize appropriate action if negotiations with Japan to allow the resumption of United States beef exports are not successful, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The United States cattle industry produces abundant, safe, and healthful food for consumers in the United States and around the world.
(2) Japan has prohibited imports of beef from the United States since December, 2003, when a single case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, or `mad cow disease’) was found in a Canadian-born animal in Washington State.
(3) The United States has implemented and maintained a BSE surveillance and safeguard program that exceeds the internationally recognized standards of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) for BSE control, eradication, and testing to protect human and animal health.
(4) The United States and the Government of Japan concluded an understanding on October 23, 2004, that established a process that was supposed to lead to a resumption of United States beef exports to Japan.
(5) Notwithstanding Japan’s commitment in this agreement, Japan’s membership in the OIE, and Japan’s commitment under the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of the World Trade Organization to apply sanitary and phytosanitary measures only to the extent necessary to protect human, animal, and plant health, based on scientific principles, Japan continues to maintain an unjustified ban on imports of United States beef.
(6) Japan’s continued violation of the spirit and letter of its World Trade Organization commitments has resulted in the cumulative economic loss to the United States beef industry of approximately $6,300,000,000 and current annual economic trade losses of $3,140,000,000 per year.
(7) United States officials and officials of the Government of Japan have recently indicated that Japan could complete the regulatory process to allow a resumption of United States beef exports to Japan by the end of 2005.
SEC. 2. NEGOTIATIONS AND CERTIFICATION REGARDING UNITED STATES BEEF EXPORTS TO JAPAN.
(a) In General- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the United States Trade Representative shall, not later than December 15, 2005, submit to the Congress a certification described in subsection (b).
(b) Certification- The certification described in this subsection means a certification by the United States Trade Representative to the Congress that Japan is no longer prohibiting the importation of beef from the United States.
(c) Additional Tariffs-
(1) IN GENERAL- If the certification described in subsection (b) is not made, the Secretary of the Treasury shall, not later than December 31, 2005, impose additional tariffs on selected articles that are the growth, product, or manufacture of Japan and that enter the customs territory of the United States, in addition to any other duty that would otherwise apply to such article. Such additional tariffs shall be applied to such articles in an amount sufficient, in the aggregate, to result in additional tariffs being imposed on imports of articles from Japan in an amount equal to $3,140,000,000 annually.
(2) DURATION- The additional tariffs imposed by this section shall terminate on the date that a certification described in subsection (b) is submitted to the Congress.
(d) Negotiations- Beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, shall begin negotiations with Japan to ensure that Japan adopts a process that leads to the elimination of its prohibition on imports of beef from the United States.
以上
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