342. Editorial Note
On August 22, 1961, a Japanese Delegation led by Minoru Seki, Director of the Economic Affairs Bureau in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a U.S. Delegation led by Warren Christopher met in Tokyo to negotiate a bilateral cotton textile agreement as permitted by the Geneva Cotton Textile Agreement of July 21, 1961.
Documentation in Department of State, Central Files 611.9441 and 411.946 for June through September 1961 indicates that Japan wanted an increase in its cotton textile quota for 1962 of approximately 30 percent and that the Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs believed this to be a reasonable figure in view of the facts that Japan had received an increase of only 5 percent since the quota program was initiated in 1957 and that its share of cotton fabric imports had fallen from 70 percent to 18 percent of all U.S. imports of these items during the same period. FE nonetheless believed that U.S. domestic political considerations made it unfeasible for the United States to meet Japanese wishes and on June 7 Under Secretary Ball offered Japan 5 percent plus some flexibility among various categories of items. By the time the two delegations met in Tokyo, the United States had increased its offer. Regarding conclusion of the negotiations in Tokyo on September 8 with agreement at a figure of 7.8 percent, see Document 343.