JAPAN WARNS U.S. IT MAY RETALIATE IN TRADE DISPUTE
  Japan warned the United States it may
  take retaliatory measures if the United States imposes its
  planned trade sanctions on April 17, a senior government
  official said.
      Shinji Fukukawa, Vice Minister of the International Trade
  and Industry Ministry, said in a statement Japan would consider
  measures under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and
  other actions if the United States imposes 100 pct tariffs on
  some Japanese exports as planned next week.
      However, Fukukawa said Japan was ready to continue trade
  talks with the United States despite its failure to convince
  America to call off the threatened tariffs during two days of
  emergency talks which ended in Washington yesterday.
      Last month President Reagan announced the sanctions in
  retaliation for what he called Japan's failure to honour a July
  1986 agreement to stop dumping computer microchips in markets
  outside the United States and to open its home market to
  American goods.
      Fukukawa said the United States had regrettably not
  listened to Japan's explanation of its efforts to live up the
  pact and said Washington had not given any detailed explanation
  of why it planned to impose the tariffs.