TRADE . . . 48 HOURS TO GO

The top negotiators from the U.S. and Japan stepped in to try to forge an agreement in Geneva. U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor and Japanese Trade Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto began a series of what they vow will be round the clock meetings as they try to reach a trade agreementbefore Wednesday, when U.S. sanctions are due to take effect.No progress has yet been reported as the U.S. remains firm in its demand that Japan open its auto markets to American businesses. The Japanese still say their markets are open and that U.S. demands amount to little more than quotas. Any compromise will be extremely difficult to achieve. Governments on both sides are caught between not wanting to appear weak at home and wishing to avoid a potentially devastating trade war.