U.S. WEIGHS LIFTING JAPANESE TRADE CURBS
The White House has completed a new
review of Japanese semiconductor trading practices but has not
yet decided whether trade sanctions levied against Japan last
April should be lifted, U.S. officials said.
    They said the president's Economic Policy Council looked at
Japan's adherence to the 1986 U.S.-Japanese semiconductor pact
yesterday and that an announcement may be made shortly.
    But there was no hint what the announcement might be.
    Officials have said the 100 pct tariffs on 300 mln dlrs of
Japanese exports could be modified if Japan was found to be
honoring a portion of its semiconductor pact.
    But they also noted that the White House has said it was
unlikely the tariffs would be lifted before the meeting of the
world's seven major economic powers in Venice on June 8-10.
    The officials added that while the curbs complicated
U.S.-Japanese economic cooperation, they did serve to blunt 
Congressional criticism that the Reagan Administrtation was not
taking tough actions to reduce he U.S. trade deficit.
    Reagan imposed the sanctions on April 17 in retaliation for
Japan's failure to honor commitments to end dumping
semiconductors in world markets at less than production costs
and to open its own market to U.S. goods.
    The sanctions were levied on certain Japanese television
sets, personal computers and hand-held power tools.
    Reagan, in imposing the curbs, said they would be lifted as
soon as there was evidence of a pattern that Japan was adhering
to the pact.
 reuter
