JAPANESE TRADE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 1, 26 September 1919, Page 7

JAPANESE TRADE

■SOME SIGNIFICANT FIGURES. In 1913 Japanese imposts exceeded exports in value by .£9,697,100, in round figures; in 1914 tho excess of imports over exports was only ,£403,400. Tho situation then changed completely, and oxports exceeded imports for 1915. by ,£17,585,700; in 1916 by .£37,104,000; in 1917 by 456,719,400, and from January to August, 1918, by 410,560,800. The total value or the exports for 1917 was 4160,300,500, of which 470.411,100 apply to Asia—about half of this latter figure representing exports to China; 433,518,250 being applicable to Europe—the greater part of 420,204,600 representing exports to Great Britain; 450,356,000 being the value of the exports to America, of which the United States took 447,853,600 in value; 45,402,500 being the value, of tho exports to Australia, which took goods for a value of about half the latter figure—to Cape. Colony and N'atdi, Egypt and Hawaii. The table gives, furtlier, two comparatively 6inall sums to "other nations" and to "unknown destinations." The total valuo of the commodities imported iuto Japan, also for 1917, was 4103,531,100, divided in tho main as follows: Asia, 447,551,800, the principal component figures being 422,394,100 from British India and £13,327,100 from China'; Europe, 48,217,000, in which figure Great Britain enters for 40,330,400; 'America, the greater part, or 435,9<u,50i1, representing imports from the United States; there being, further, imports to the value of 43,293,400 from Australia, 41,885,100 from Capo Colony, and" Natal, 41,090,700 from Egypt, bosides entries under Hawaii, temporary warehouso and unknown origin. All tho above figures for exports and imports do not include gold and silver coins and bullion, and apply to Japan propor only. The list of iucreased exports for the year 1917, as compared with 1916, is headed by raw silk, the increase over 191G, in value, being 48,811,600. Raw silk was largely in demand from both Europe and America, duo partly to tho fact that tho output in Bilk-producing centres outside Japan was poor. Tho largest consumer, as formorly, was tho h mted States, followed by Franco, Great Britain and Italy. The next item on tTie list is steamships, the increase in tho exports of which in 1917 over I9IG amounted to over 48,000,099, this being accounted for by a scarcity of vessels and a brisk demand for them from botli Europe and America. The list of increased imports for tho year 1917, as compared with 1916, is headed by bar iron, tho increase over 1910, in value, being over 410,000,000. There is also an increase in tho value of machines and machinery imported to tho extent of over 41,000,000. These items wero largely in demand in shipbuilding mid other enterprises, which had undergone a sudden development in Japan 6inco the war—"Engineering."