Editorials
Friday, July 26, 1996
Japan's bid to block imports
of U.S. apples
JAPANESE officials keep saying that the bad old days of keeping unwanted imports out by hook or crook are over, that Japan's markets are open now. And then comes the story of the Japanese agricultural scientist who was hounded into commiting suicide for conducting research that contradicted his government's position on apple imports from the United States.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Akio Tanii, 53, killed himself by drinking pesticide after incurring the wrath of the Japanese government and farmers. His mistake was to conduct research that showed a bacterium that causes a devastating disease in apple and pear trees was present in Japan.
Government officials had long insisted that Japan was free of the disease, called fire blight. They had used this misrepresentation of fact in opposing imports of apples from the United States, where the disease is endemic, on the ground that the imports could spread the disease.
The case is a tragic example of political interference with scientific research. The government was willing to distort the truth to protect the economic interests of Japanese farmers - at the cost of the life of a scientist as well as the interests of consumers who were denied the opportunity to purchase cheaper imported fruit, and Washington state apple growers.
It took 20 years of negotiating before the bureaucrats relented in 1993 and let American apples into the country, and then only under the threat of U.S. sanctions. Even then they imposed such onerous conditions that growers are finding it hard to make a profit. The false claim that Japan was free of fire blight was a crucial part of the justification for those conditions.
To make matters worse, tiny traces of a fungicide were found on some imported apples. Although the amounts were harmless, consumer and farmer groups used the finding to charge that all American apples were poisoned, causing sales to plummet.
It's true that Japan is a major importer of American products and that it has lowered many trade barriers - but only under pressure. The story of Akio Tanii and fire blight demonstrates that the desire to keep out products that compete with domestic goods is still strong in government offices, despite the lip service Japan gives to the need to reduce its huge trade surplus with the United States.
Pawaa housing project
THE refusal of a state housing agency to grant $2.9 million annually in tax credits for a city-sponsored housing project on the site of the old police headquarters in Pawaa is a setback for efforts to meet the need for low-cost rental housing in Honolulu. The Pawaa project in one form or another will be back before the housing finance agency at some future date. The city is committed to building housing on the site and cannot walk away even if the current developer quits. And the need for low-cost rental housing remains acute. Those facts will not change no matter who wins the mayoral election.
Airport security
THE possibility that the TWA Flight 800 explosion was caused by a bomb points out the need for stronger security measures at the nation's airports. The measures announced by President Clinton are expected to cause delays of 15 to 30 minutes for passengers to check in for international flights, but the extra care is warranted and is likely to be accepted with few complaints.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited Partnership
Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor