Summary: In response to a congressional request, GAO investigated certain allegations concerning the level and quality of U.S. government export promotion assistance in Japan, focusing on: (1) the budget and staffing level for export promotion activities in Japan; (2) U.S. businesses' views of the quality of assistance received; and (3) Japanese export promotion activities in the United States.
GAO surveyed various U.S. trade associations and businesses with financial interest in Japan, and found that: (1) an incident in Japan which led to a congressional constituent complaint was an isolated event resulting from overworked staff and the U.S. delegation's expectations for greater hospitality; (2) most of the officials expressed satisfaction regarding the level of U.S. Foreign and Commercial Service (US&FCS) assistance in Japan; (3) budgetary limitations and the value of the dollar against the Japanese yen hampered US&FCS export promotion activities; (4) inadequate US&FCS staffing levels in key positions created concern among some industry representatives; (5) US&FCS may require additional staff to meet potential increases in demand for assistance because of recent trade negotiations between the two countries, which could result in greater market access for U.S. products in Japan; and (6) in 1988, the Japanese trade promotion organization spent about $14 million on export promotion in the U.S., while US&FCS expenditures in Japan were less than $4 million.
