TOKYO--Masayoshi Ohira, Japan's new prime minister, predicted continued troubles for the dollar yesterday, and called for a tripling of President Carter's $30 billion "defense fund" for buying up surplus dollars to prevent the dollar's further decline.
Japan needs a "fund that is capable of withstanding the effects of speculators," the 58-year-old former finance minister said yesterday.
Ohira replaced Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda as the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in party elections last week.
Ohira also said he sees little chance that Japan will meet the seven-per-cent economic growth rate for the current fiscal year, a goal set by the Fukuda government at the Bonn summit meeting of Western powers and Japan last July.
Meanwhile, in Brussels, leaders of the nine Common Market nations agreed yesterday on principles for a new monetary system in Europe. The system will allow national currecies to fluctuate within a set percentage on either side of the offical currency rate.
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