Kerry victory may hit Japan

William Pesek JR

Japan has close ties with the current US government, but this could change quickly

Travelling around Japan, one senses little excitement about the US primaries, though officials may be secretly hoping John Kerry doesn't become president. Tokyo-based economists are eyeing a couple of potential economic landmines listed in Kerry's website, www.johnkerry.com. One is his push to get Japan, China and others to stop manipulating currencies. Another is his desire to break down barriers to key export markets such as Japan and South Korea. There's nothing wrong with such positions, but the Bush administration has done far less than meets the eye to exact such changes from Japan. ...