WASHINGTON—The ink had hardly dried on the agreement signed by Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita to foster United States-Japan cooperation in science when the sniping began. But the snipers weren’t Democrats running for office, nor were they diplomats representing Japan’s commercial rivals. The criticism was coming from hardliners in the White House— including members of the president’s Office of Science and Technology Policy.
“This country has experienced past situations in which the Japanese have promised to do something and then didn’t follow through,” warns Deborah ‘Wince, assistant director for international affairs within the office.
That view casts doubt on the common wisdom flowing from the June 20 ceremony at the Toronto economic summit that the five-year agreement marks the end of a bitter feud between the two economic powers on access to research facilities. The agreement covers potential cooperation in a range of disciplines, ranging from biotechnology to ...
