Reagan Urges Japanese to Assist Poland : Foreign Aid: The former President says the United States can’t give the East Bloc country all the help it deserves in its move toward democracy and calls on Tokyo to help out.

TOKYO —  Former President Ronald Reagan called on Japan Wednesday to use its economic strength to help Poland “make the transition from communism to free enterprise.”

Reagan, speaking at a banquet hosted by a Japanese communications conglomerate that is paying him $2 million for a nine-day series of appearances, observed that Japan is entering a “golden age” with an economy that has “the power of a harnessed volcano.”

In its new status as the world’s largest foreign aid donor, Japan should not overlook Poland, a “nation fighting to go democratic,” Reagan said.

“The U.S.--because of our already large security commitments to protecting freedom around the world and our large budget deficit--cannot give Poland all the economic help it deserves,” he said.

“Many nations, many organizations, can play a role, but you above all have the economic tenacity, the manufacturing and managerial skills, the financial resources,” he said. “This is your golden age. Join us in a golden partnership for democracy in Poland and around the world.”

In fact, Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu told Parliament on Monday that he hopes to visit Poland in January, and it is expected that some sort of economic assistance package will be announced at that time. Details of the package are still being worked out, according to Foreign Ministry officials.

Kaifu’s predecessor, Sosuke Uno, pledged during the Paris summit of the seven leading industrialized democracies in July that Japan would cooperate in supporting economic reforms in Eastern Europe. But the powerful bureaucracies charged with administering Tokyo’s aid program have resisted the idea, partly on the grounds that per-capita income in Poland or Hungary is high enough that the countries do not qualify for official development assistance.

Also, Japan traditionally has placed a priority on assisting development in Asia, where it perceives a greater strategic role for itself.

Kaifu had wanted to unveil an economic package for Poland during his visit to the United States in September, shortly after he took office, but failed to persuade the bureaucrats to support such a move.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Tokyo has signed a pact to allow Poland to extend its debt repayment schedule for about $396.5 million in loans.

The Associated Press quoted a ministry aide, requesting anonymity, as saying Poland will repay the debts and interest over five years after a five-year grace period.

Reagan, who is highly revered among Japan’s conservative ruling elite as a symbol of American strength and a champion of free trade, arrived here Friday at the invitation of the Japanese government and the Fujisankei Communications Group.

Although Reagan’s activities here are ostensibly centered on raising funds for his presidential library, the trip is widely regarded as a public relations blitz by Fujisankei, which editorially leans heavily to the right. Consequently, the trip has been largely ignored by the rest of the Japanese media.

So pervasive is the news blackout that the Foreign Ministry persuaded the organizers of the tour to allow Reagan to throw out the first pitch Tuesday at the third game of the Japan Series, the local equivalent of the World Series, so the general public might become aware of his presence. Reagan went to the mound in suit and tie and nearly hit the batter with his first throw.

The stunt merited a photo and a brief story in the Yomiuri newspaper, which owns the Tokyo Giants, one of the contenders for the championship. Fujisankei’s flagship newspaper, the Sankei, ignored the baseball episode, however, and focused its article on Nancy Reagan’s meeting with the nascent Japan chapter of her “Just Say No” anti-drug program.

Reagan got his most extensive exposure in a long interview broadcast Wednesday night on Fujisankei’s television network, during which he looked back at his presidency, described his Soviet policy, supported President Bush’s cautious approach to problems in Central America and explained his peculiar haircut.

Reagan’s hair is short-cropped because half his head was shaved recently for brain surgery. The new look, which appears considerably more gray than his characteristically long brown locks, has revived the debate over whether he has been dying his hair. A spokesman for Reagan vehemently denied that any artificial color had ever been applied.

The gray hair question has rivaled the controversy over Reagan’s $2-million “honorarium,” which is in addition to the $5 million to $7 million that Fujisankei is reportedly spending on logistics while the Reagans are in town. Fujisankei chartered a private jetliner for Reagan’s entourage of about 20 people to fly directly from Los Angeles; empty seats were filled by 200 military dependents visiting family stationed in Japan.

Some of the cost of Fujisankei’s lavish hospitality, however, is being offset by receipts for events such as Wednesday night’s banquet or the Reagan Presidential Library benefit concert on Sunday in a sports stadium in Yokohama.

It is not clear whether any of Reagan’s $2-million fee is earmarked for the library fund. Neither Reagan’s aides nor Fujisankei will comment publicly on the compensation, but reliable sources have confirmed that the $2-million figure is accurate.

While in Japan, Reagan has attended a state dinner hosted by Kaifu, lunched with former Prime Ministers Noboru Takeshita and Yasuhiro Nakasone, and had an audience with Emperor Akihito, who awarded him the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, one of Japan’s highest awards.

A fanfare of trumpets greeted Reagan as he made a majestic entrance into the banquet hall at the Akasaka Prince Hotel on Wednesday evening. The dinner was attended by an array of business leaders, some of whose companies had purchased commercial time during the Reagan interview aired on Fuji Television Network later that night.

True to his reputation here, Reagan’s public remarks have emphasized bilateral friendship and free trade, a reassuring message for the increasing number of Japanese who worry about the backlash against Japan’s huge trade surplus and its aggressive investment practices in the United States.

Asked during the Fuji TV interview what he thought of Sony Corp.’s takeover of Columbia Pictures, the former Hollywood actor said he thought it might result in “some improvements” in the moral standards of American movies, which he said have suffered from the loss of studio censorship.

“I just have a feeling that maybe Hollywood needs some outsiders to bring back decency and good taste to some of the pictures that are being made,” Reagan said.

Reagan reiterated his advocacy of free trade, blaming Democrats in Congress for rising irritability over economic friction with Japan, and said the United States should remain open to foreign investment.

In his speech at the banquet, Reagan conceded that the two countries have differences on trade, “which I’ll talk about later in the week,” but he added that the “ideological basis of our partnership is secure. We see the world much the same way.”