GENEVA (Kyodo) Japan cannot accept a 5 percent cap on the number of "sensitive" farm products on which World Trade Organizations members maintain high tariffs, agriculture minister Katsutoshi Matsuoka said Monday.
Matsuoka made clear Tokyo's stance after holding talks with WTO Director General Pascal Lamy.
According to the agriculture ministry, the number of products contained in Japan's tariff line, or the total number of products that carry a tariff, is currently 1,326. Of these, high tariffs are imposed on 17 rice, 20 wheat, 56 sugar and 47 dairy products.