Staff writer

Japan will call on the United States and Europe to commit to eschewing any protectionist trade measures against imports from Asian economies hard-hit by the current financial crisis, government officials said March 17.

Japan is already asking the European members of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to include such a "standstill" commitment in a communique to be issued at a second summit of its 25 member nations in London early next month, the officials said, requesting anonymity.

Aside from ASEM, Japan will also press for a similar agreement at the next summit meeting of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations and Russia in Birmingham, Britain, in mid-May, the officials said. The G-7 is made up of the U.S., Canada, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Japan. The G-7 nations plus Russia are now being referred to as the Group of Eight.

ASEM was inaugurated at its first summit in Bangkok in March 1996. It is intended to strengthen what is widely believed to be the weakest link in ties between the world's three economic centers -- East Asia, Western Europe and North America. The 10 Asian members of ASEM are Japan, South Korea, China and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, except Laos and Myanmar, which were admitted into ASEAN last July.

The financial turmoil that has swept through East Asia since last summer and has taken a heavy toll on many of the regional economies is expected to top the economic agenda at the forthcoming summits of both ASEM and the G-8.

The Japanese request for agreements by ASEM and the G-8 to eschew any new protectionist trade measures -- including the possible abuse of antidumping rules -- against imports from those Asian economies comes amid growing pressure for such steps in the U.S. and Europe.

While the Asian economies, backed by their sharply weaker currencies, are trying to export their way out of dire economic straits, concerns are growing in the U.S. and Europe over a possible flood of cheaper imports. The weaker currencies of the Asian economies make their products cheaper overseas.

"Although the U.S. and Europe will probably not take measures that are clearly protectionist, such as imposing quantitative import restrictions or higher import tariffs, they could be tempted to use antidumping rules excessively to stem a sharp surge in the imports of cheaper Asian products," one of the officials said.

The official described the Japanese request for a standstill commitment by ASEM and the G-8 as a part of Tokyo's efforts to assist Asia's crisis-hit developing economies.