Japan's complaint to WTO

Japan's complaint to WTO

Japan has asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) to
establish a panel to decide on its complaint over Indonesia's
national car policy. Japanese minister of international trade and
industry said his government had submitted a formal request to
that effect on Thursday, April 17th.

Indonesia's membership in the WTO and the consequences it
brings -- including the possibility of being condemned by the
panel and penalized -- provides a tangible illustration of the
possible effects which the era of globalization may have. The
question is: are we ready?

The dispute over our national car policy demonstrates a
particular dilemma which we are facing in this context. Our
automotive industry does need some fundamental reforms to enable
it to face the dawning of the free trade era. Our automotive
industry has so far not been able to produce a "national car",
which according to APEC criteria must have a local content of at
least 40 percent.

But whatever the WTO decision may be, our national car policy
cannot be halted. Obviously, this does not mean that we must
stubbornly stick to our present policy even if it is found to be
in violation of the rules, but rather we must modify our policy
so it will be in compliance with the WTO rulings.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta