Yet another block has been added to a diplomatic wall being built by the international community to shut out Japan's rising protectionism on farm trade.
According to Japanese government sources, Italy has proposed to other Group of Eight countries that the forthcoming G8 summit declare all imports from the world's poorest countries, in principle, duty-free.
Italy made the proposal at a recent G8 "sherpas" meeting, a runup to the annual G8 summit, to be held in the Italian port city of Genoa for three days starting July 20, the sources said.