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U.S. and Japan seek balance WASHINGTON (AP)—The Unit ed States and Japan resumed efforts Wednesday to find ways to open Ja pan’s markets, but U.S. Trade Repre sentative Mickey Kantor cautioned against expecting any immediate break throughs. Japanese Trade Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto held talks with both Kantor and Commerce Secretary Ron Brown as both sides searched for ways to break the stalemate in contentious negotia tions aimed at lowering Japanese trade barriers. The United States is threatening to impose trade sanctionson Japan ifagrcc ment is not reached in one of the areas — government purchases — by Sept. 30. Two other priority areas under dis cussion arc iasurance and autos and auto parts. Kantor refused to characterize the status of the talks in any of the areas but he indicated that the discussioas were likely to go right up to the Sept. 30 deadline. “I hope we can make progress, but I wouldn’t expect any dramatic an nouncements or breakthroughs in the near term,” Kantor told reporters. After his meeting with Brown, Hashimoto joked that “there was no fatal attack” but he refused to provide any details of how the discussions went. In addition to Hashimoto, Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono was sched uled to meet with Kantor on Thursday. On Tuesday, Walter Mondale, Amer ica’s ambassador to J apan, told a Wash ington audience that the United States hopes to resolve the current disputes without resorting to trade sanctions. Kantor refused to speculate about what the United States might do if there is no agreement in the government purchases area by a Sept. 30 deadline. American companies are pushing for the Japanese government to open up its bid procedures specifically in the areas of medical equipment and tele communications products. Government purchases, autos and auto parts and insurance were the top priority areas designated more than a year ago when both countries launched what was known as the “framework” talks, w hue initial aeais were supposcu to have been reached last February, the talks instead broke down over Japan’s refusal to accept numerical benchmarks for measuring progress. The fight over this issue remains at the center of the negotiations with the search continuing for ways to measure market-opening progress that would be acceptable to both sides. Kantor was scheduled to continue his talks with the Japanese on Thursday in Los Angeles in advance of weekend meetings with the world’s top trading countries. Those discussions will involve the trade ministers from Japan, Canada and the European Union. Kantor told reporters that one of the issues on the agenda will be ways to revive a U.S. proposal to launch a new round of talks aimed at lowering global trade barriers. While Canada and Japan generally support this proposal, it has met oppo sition from the EU. Joint effort endorsed TOTSK, Russia (AP) — Slam ming nationalists who have decried joint peacekeeping exercises as a violationof sovereignty, Russia’s top general gave a resounding endorse ment to training with the U.S. mili tary. . Defense Minister Pavel Grachev pledged Wednesday to double Rus sia’s contingent next year, and criti cizedopponentsofthcjointexereiscs as short-sighted. “Those whoare today against this peacekeeping exercise, let them re memDer ivjh, saiu vjracncv, re calling baibaric nuclear testing that took place 40 years ago on the plains of Totsk, 700 miles southeast of Moscow. “I believe that the very effect of the joint American-Russian peacekeep ing exercise has global significance. Those who misunderstand are only those who arc short-sighted or the forces who play a political part dur ing the exercises ” he told a group of mostly Russian soldiers at the base auditorium. NetSra&kan Editor Jeff Zeleny Night News Editors Chris Main 472-1766 Doug Kouma FAX NUMBER 472-1761 The Daily NebraskanfUSPS 144 080) is published by the UNL Publicajions Board. Ne braska Union 34, 1400 R St., Lincoln, NE 68588-0448, Monday through Fnday during the academic vear weekly during summer sessions. . _ .. Baders are encouraged to submrt story ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by phoning 472-1763 between 9 ajn. and 5 p.m. Monday through Fnday. TTw publto also has access to the Publications Board. For information, contact Tim Hedegaard, 436-9258, Postmaster lend addrws*changes ^to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R SUiKdn. NE ®g»,««RS£^KSS!Xro«l.y"NMB«K*N “Simplify, simplify.” Henry David Thoreau “Hey, that’s not a bad idea!’ AT&T AKST Universal MasterCard. 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