While we fume over the niggling regulations the Japanese use to keep out exports – nonsense about the exact positioning of the engine number where a millimetre out either way has caused cars to be rejected on the dock – spare a thought for the poor Japanese consumer: the Washington Post reports that Matsushita cordless phones cost $615 in Japan where an almost identical model is sold for just $80 in the US; an enterprising importer bought a consignment of the export model in the US and the things were soon doing a roaring trade in the discount stores – until Matsushita rushed around buying up all the remaining stocks, saying darkly that the things weren’t approved for use in Japan; they work just fine said the few lucky customers.
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