TRADE REP SAYS BASHING NOT GOOD FOR BUSINESS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, February 22, 1992                   TAG: 9202220153
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Joe Tennis
DATELINE: RADFORD                                LENGTH: Short
TRADE REP SAYS BASHING NOT GOOD FOR BUSINESS
Emotionalism and sensationalism between Japan and the United States over the economy must go, a member of the U.S. Trade Representative office said Thursday.
"We want to defuse the tension because it gets in the way of trade relations," David Spetrino told Radford University business and marketing students.
Spetrino is a special assistant to Carla Hills, the U.S. trade representative. Hills' office is charged with developing and improving international political, economic and defense relations.
The agency is "working every day in some way or another to improve relations" with Japan, he said.
The economic relationship between the two countries has been clouded by confusion during President Bush's recent visit to Japan and by Yoshio Sakyrauchi, speaker of Japan's powerful Parliament, who called U.S. workers lazy.
"While all the bad press was going on, we were opening markets in Japan," Spetrino said.
He added: "We don't need Japan-bashing. We don't need U.S.-bashing. Because none of it is good for business. . . . If we go bashing Japan and say cut them off, that doesn't solve anything."
Spetrino encouraged the students to consider international investments and business ventures in Japan - not just "in the auto show windows," but in the total retail market.
"We should have as much right in [Japan's] market as they have in ours," he said.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB