Japan/US Trade Pact

While the Japan/US trade agreement is an improvement, with the possibility of consumers able to buy some products at lower prices, it still comes down to consumer choice on many products. For example, no amount of lowered tariffs/taxes is going to change consumer opinions on US cars being sold in Japan. If US car manufacturers haven't figured that out yet, they might be wasting their time trying to sell cars in a market that doesn't want those cars. Of course rice was not in the new agreement, as was expected. Rice, agriculture, has always been a sticking point in any trade agreement, in most countries as the farm sector is highly protected. Japanese consumers might not be too concerned with high rice prices, as some might not be too concerned with high sushi prices, as the quality of the product is very important in Japan. Flooding the market with lower quality products, whether cars, rice, other products is not going to change consumer behavior in a country that values quality products.


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