P.M. BRIEFING : U.S., Japan Fail to Reach Accord

TOKYO — The United States and Japan failed to reach agreement after two days of negotiations in their dispute over foreign access to Japan’s satellite market, officials from both sides said today.

“The talks produced no concrete results,” Joseph Massey, assistant U.S. trade representative, told reporters.

Washington has argued that Japan is using government money to nurture the development of a domestic satellite industry and is shutting out foreign competition.

The United States has singled out Japan’s satellite market under the so-called Super 301 clause of its trade bill for possible retaliatory action next year if the dispute cannot be resolved.

Washington has specifically attacked Tokyo’s plan to develop the CS-4 communications satellite by itself, arguing that the main purpose of the satellite is commercial, not scientific.