JAPAN’S SHIPS BACK IN FOREIGN TRADE

Grey River Argus, 10 August 1948, Page 4

JAPAN’S SHIPS BACK IN FOREIGN TRADE

SEVEN OIL TANKERS (Reuter—N.Z.P. A.) (Rec. 9.40) TOKIO, Aug. 8 Two Japanese-manned and officered oil tankers left Japan for Persia, last week. Five more tankers will leave this week. This is reported by reliable Japanese sources. These tankers will replace American tankers which have been engaged, since the end of the war, on the Persia-Japan oil run. The permission for the tankers to make the Persian oil run represents the first post-war entry of the Japanese mercantile marine in the foreign field. The S.C.A.P. claims that the Japanese tankers will save American bottoms and will also effect the hard currency saving in the importation of oil. A spokesman > at General MacArthur’s headquarters said that all of the available Japanese tankers would be used on the run. Hitherto, American Navy tankers and chartered ships have been used on this run. Now they would be released. British Agree To Use of Jap. Tankers (Rec. 11.5). LONDON, Aug. 9. Reuter’s Tokio correspondent says: The decision to permit Japanese tankers to use the world’s sea lanes once again was reached at the conference in Japan with the sterling area. British sources in Tokio revealed this to-day. An unofficial, but reliable source said that both General MacArthur’s headquarters representing Japan, and the sterling area participants made many concessions at the conference, and the Japanese oil lift could be regarded in that light. The use of the Japanese tankers would simply release American tankers for other urgent duties.