What struck me as strange about the news that the United States and Japan has signed a telecommunications equipment and trade agreement was that it showed up in a popular Japanese news site under international news of the weird.

The United States wants Japan to accept U.S. product testing and certification results proving U.S. equipment meets Japan's technical standards. Right!

U.S. trade officials think the agreement will lower costs for U.S. businesses and speed up marketing of their products in Japan.

So, what's weird about this?

Is it my imagination or is the U.S. always trying to negotiate its way into a market?

If the United States were to make a product that was better than the existing product in Japan's domestic market, or any country's market for that matter, and the product was affordable, the country and the people of the destination country would buy it. Period.

No?

Why is the United States always trying to talk its way in to a market instead of letting its products sell themselves into a market?

What do you think?