Japan Not to Slap Antidumping Duties on Indonesian Paper

Tokyo, June 26 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government said Wednesday it will not impose antidumping duties on paper products from Indonesia, dismissing complaints filed by Japanese paper manufacturers. An investigation by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Finance found no evidence of Indonesian paper products having been imported at prices below fair value, ministry officials said. In May last year, a total of eight Japanese paper manufacturers filed a request to the government to impose the levy on photocopy paper from Indonesia, saying that the products were imported to Japan at prices up to some 16 pct lower than they are sold in Indonesia. In a joint statement released Wednesday, Oji Paper Co. and other Japanese paper makers described the government's decision as regrettable. The companies said Japan-made paper products have lost ground to cheap imports due to the yen's appreciation in recent years and they will continue to call for appropriate government measures to preserve the domestic industry. END