Posts minister now suggests that 22.5% cut in less than three years possible Japan on Friday offered a compromise in the long-standing dispute with the United States over telephone connection rates, bringing the two nations closer to resolving the bilateral trade row before the upcoming Group of Eight summit in Okinawa Prefecture.
Posts and Telecommunications Minister Eita Yashiro told a news conference that Tokyo is ready to accept a reduction of 22.5 percent over a period of one to three years in interconnection fees charged by NTT Corp. instead of an identical cut over four years.
The concession effectively meets Washington's demand that the rates be cut by 22.5 percent in the first two years and the reduction be raised to 41.1 percent in the following two years.