23 July 1998: Five major Japanese and US glassmakers have agreed to jointly press the Japanese government to ease safety standards on safety glass used in buildings, industry sources said recently.
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23 July 1998: Five major Japanese and US glassmakers have agreed to jointly press the Japanese government to ease safety standards on safety glass used in buildings, industry sources said recently. The five firms, Asahi Glass Co., Nippon Sheet Glass Co. and Central Glass Co. from Japan, and Guardian International Corp. and PPG Industries Inc. from the United States, are taking the measure to promote sales in Japan. The production cost and price of safety glass in Japan are higher than in the United States, because safety standards in Japan are stricter than in the US market, the sources said. US glassmakers consider the stricter safety regulations a major stumbling block to sales in Japan, they added. The three Japanese firms believe that easing safety glass standards would benefit them as well as their American rivals, the sources said. The five glass manufacturers have been jointly examining the openness of Japan“s glass market since the Japanese and the US governments reached an accord on flat glass trade in December 1994.