Ports in a storm

THE Japanese call it gaiatsu--using foreign pressure as an excuse for doing something that everyone agrees is necessary but no one wants to take the flak for. This time the problem is Japan's ports. These have long been nests of restrictive practices that hobble importers and shipping lines alike. The transport ministry is keen to do something about the problem, but the bureaucrats are scared of special interests such as the dockers and the cargo-handling cartel. Hence the convenience of leaving the dredging work to America's Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) in Washington, DC.