A fresh claim by Japan that it will not be a drag on world growth fell on a silent audience in a weekend meeting of finance ministers of the Group of Seven nations, where no one was openly critical of Japan but the lack of supportive remarks was notable.
With domestic wrangling still under way over specific economic measures, uncertainties remain over whether Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi can deliver a convincing package when he attends a June 26-27 summit of the Group of Eight nations — the G7 plus Russia — in Kananaskis, Alberta.
In the two-day meeting in this eastern Canada port city, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa outlined to his G7 partners Japan's latest efforts to revive its struggling deflationary economy.
The move was yet another attempt by Shiokawa to persuade the G7 that Japan is committed to spurring its economy, after promising to draw up new economic steps, including tax cuts, at the previous meeting with the ministers held in Washington in April.