He urged Japan to increase imports and drop quotas on foreign goods "as a matter of principle."
In response, they increased imports of Western products and processes that incorporated advanced technology.
He said the United States should prepare to increase imports of the fuel, which is increasingly in demand.
After a summer of strikes and rioting, his plans to increase imports may come to only $1 billion or $2 billion.
Both have sent a number of buying missions to the United States to try to increase imports.
Though the United States has been increasing imports, oil prices have fallen recently.
Though the United States has been increasing imports, oil prices had fallen over the last few weeks.
The second broad goal is to increase Japanese imports of manufactured goods by a third.
On specific issues, he calls for tax changes, including a new indirect tax, and supports efforts to increase Japanese imports.
It is an initiative which, in the worst case, would have increased imports of sugar by approximately 100 000 tons per year.