OSAKA -- U.S. ambassador Thomas Foley wound up a two-day trip to the Kansai region April 24, his first since assuming the post last fall, calling on the Japanese government to deregulate further.

However, he denied a media report that he had requested that the consumption tax be lowered to 3 percent from the current 5 percent. During his visits to Kobe and Osaka, Foley met with senior local government and business officials. A native of Spokane, Washington, the ambassador also paid a visit to Nishinomiya, which has a sister city relationship with Spokane.

Touching on a recent Office of the U.S. Trade Representative report that called on Japan to take more steps to deregulate its economy before the G-7 Summit in Birmingham, England next month, Foley said that although progress has been made, more can be done.