91.   U.S. and Japanese trade negotiators will meet again this month to further review outstanding issues on patent law.

92.   U.S. officials, including U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, have recently expressed concern the Japanese trade surplus with the U.S. may expand.

93.   U.S. interest rates will remain much higher than the Japanese counterparts and the Japanese trade surplus will keep shrinking for several months, he said.

94.   U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky yesterday told Japanese International Trade and Industry Minister Shinji Sato that the expanding Japanese trade surplus with the U.S. is unacceptable.

95.   U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin criticized Japanese trade barriers -- particularly on U.S. automobiles and auto parts --and said the U.S. was committed to opening those markets.

96.   When the Japanese trade surplus with the U.S. expands, that hurts the dollar because Japanese exporters have more dollars to sell for yen to bring profits home.

97.   While further strength in the yen could help shrink the Japanese trade surplus with the U.S., it could keep the economy from recovering further, Kimura said.

98.   Will this make a significant dent in the Japanese trade surplus with the United States?

99.   Pushing themselves to the brink of a trade war, top American and Japanese trade officials talked into the night Tuesday but reported no progress in their auto dispute.

100.   -- Prime Minister Murayama will propose a loose Japan-U.S. dispute settlement body to President Clinton at their upcoming summit, a senior Japanese trade official said.