Imported cars'' age limit increase: Japan may raise issue

The Japanese government is expected to raise the issue of increase in the age limit of reconditioned cars, from three to five years, with President Asif Ali Zardari during his visit to Japan. Pakistan will be tabling a list of more than 200 items for tariff reduction before the Japanese government during the President''s visit, sources said.
"We are also requesting Tokyo to start negotiations on Free Trade Agreement (FTA)," said an official. Pakistan''s prime focus, he added, would be on market access, for which Pakistani leadership would discuss all options with the Japanese leadership.
When asked if reconditioned cars issue would be discussed with the Japanese government he said that it was not part of the agreed agenda, but conceded that it might be discussed at some forum.
Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan, currently in Tokyo, had repeatedly met with Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Minister for Industries and Production Hazar Khan Bijarani in an attempt to block the proposal to enhance the age for second-hand imported cars, but did not succeed. Japanese auto sector investors in Pakistan maintain that enhancement in age limit of used cars import would hurt their investment.
Recently, Commerce Ministry issued a notification increasing the age limit for import of second-hand cars after weeks of correspondence with the Cabinet Division and the Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, who is also the chairman of the Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet.
Sources told Business Recorder that Secretary Commerce, Zafar Mahmood, who issued the ''age enhancement'' notification, will also accompany the President during his visit to Japan. Karachi-based commercial importers told this scribe that it was President Asif Ali Zardari who had supported the issuance of the SRO, as the Prime Minister was siding with the local auto sector.