Contact: Barbara Riley
Thursday, October 23, 2008

MANCHESTER, NH – United States Senator John Sununu (R-NH) today (10/22) announced significant progress in the continuing fight to resolve Goss International Corporation’s anti-dumping trade dispute against Japanese competitor Tokyo Kikai Seiskusho (TKS) with senior State Department officials raising Goss’s case with top Japanese and American government representatives.

Sununu stated that in the past two days State Department officials have discussed the Goss case on three separate occasions in Washington and Tokyo, Japan, pushing the Japanese government to reach a resolution favorable to Goss.

“I have been frustrated with the Administration’s delay in responding aggressively on the Goss situation; however, high-ranking State Department officials are now actively engaged with the Japanese government both here and abroad to resolve Japan’s retaliatory action against Goss’s subsidiary in that country,” said Sununu. “This is a positive development for Goss and the nearly 1,000 employees at its Dover and Durham plants and signals an effort to end this international trade dispute to protect the American economy at a time when it needs it the most.  Goss and its employees can be assured that I remain committed to pursuing this effort with the new administration." 

Goss International Corporation CEO Bob Brown said, “Senator Sununu understands how important it is for the United States to strongly enforce international trade law. Jobs across this country, including 1,000 in Durham and Dover, New Hampshire, are at stake as a result of lax enforcement of our trade laws. As a result of Senator Sununu’s intervention the Administration is finally working with the Japanese government on Goss’s behalf.  We appreciate all of Senator Sununu’s efforts on this important matter.”

Sununu most recently discussed the case with State Department officials two weeks ago. As recently as August, 2008 and on numerous earlier occasions, he also formally contacted the State Department to underscore that a compelling case exists that the Japanese government violated its Friendship, Commerce and Navigation Treaty (FCN Treaty) with the U.S. when it instituted a “clawback” provision in reaction to a 2003 court judgment in favor of Goss and against TKS.  Under the clawback provision, Goss’s Japanese subsidiary would have to repay a $31.6 million court judgment awarded to Goss against TKS in an anti-dumping lawsuit. Moreover, use of the clawback statute in this case would be an extremely harmful precedent.

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