Japan is seriously concerned about the rising use of anti-dumping charges and other forms of “murky protectionism” being taken by trading partners amid the global economic slowdown, according to a senior trade official.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Hiroyuki Ishige, vice-minister of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, said overt violations of trade rules had been relatively limited since the onset of the slump last year, but he warned that governments remained under huge pressure to shield markets.

“More alarming is the murky protectionism, or invisible protectionism, that is spreading,” Mr Ishige said. “Typically, anti-dumping measures are being increasingly used, technical barriers to trade intentionally misused, and ‘buy-local' promoted.”