International Business / The Pacific

Japan to Look at Photo Film Market: The government’s Fair Trade Commission made the announcement two days before a U.S. visit by Japan’s prime minister. U.S. rival Eastman Kodak Co. had demanded a probe, contending the film market in Japan is dominated by four wholesalers loyal to Fuji Photo Film Co. The sudden announcement by the commission, Japan’s anti-monopoly watchdog, gives Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto a concrete development he can cite when meeting Friday with President Clinton in Santa Monica. Although U.S.-Japan trade friction has eased since an accord on auto trade in June, the two leaders are likely to differ over the renewal of a semiconductor trade agreement that expires in July.