Busy schedule for Mr Taiboys in Japan

Press, 21 April 1979, Page 3

Busy schedule for Mr Taiboys in Japan

NZPA Hong Kong Wearing two hats — as Minister of Overseas Trade and Minister of Foreign Affairs — the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Taiboys) faces a solid schedule of highlevel meetings during his six-day visit to Japan which will begin tomorrow. Meetings have been scheduled for him during the next week with the Prime Minister of Japan (Mr Masayoshi Ohira) as well as Japan’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, and Agriculture. Reliable sources in Tokyo said they expected Mr Talboys to press hard again for improved access for New Zealand butter to the Japanese market but to find the Ohira Cabinet opposed to import liberalisation for butter as was the previous Fukuda Administration.

The reason for the Japanese Government’s stubbom-

ness on the issue they said, was stockpiles of Japaese butter arising from a surge of local butter production in the last two years. Against the background of these stockpiles it was most unlikely that Mr Taiboys would receive more than “sympathetic noises” for New Zealand’s problems of marketing butter, they said. Prospects were sound, however, that Mr Taiboys might make progress with New Zealand’s desire to sell timber for house-building in Japan. As far as the cheese and meat markets were concerned Wellington’s big problem was maintaining a supply to meet the demand. Lamb sales had ’ shown steady growth and demand for cheese and beef from other markets was inhibiting the quantities New Zealand could sell in Japan.

The unsettled situation in Indo-China was expected to be a main topic of discussion on political developments in the Asian region. Time would almost certainly be devoted to reviewing the prospects for continuing peace on the Korean peninsula and the developing roles of China in Asian affairs.

Mr Taiboys is scheduled to complete his official discussions in Tokyo on Wednesday and the next morning to travel to Osaka and Kyoto. He is expected to meet Osaka city officials and businessmen on Friday before leaving on Saturday for Pusan and subsequent official discussions in the South Korean capital of Seoul.