While with most British Empire countries Japan has a marked balance of trade in her favour, and during the past year has succeeded in bring. ing down her imports from Australia to a level approaching that of her exports, there is a striking reversal ofthe position as regards Canada. For a good many years Japan has been obliged to buy from the Dominion from five to seven times as much as she sells to it, and 1938 was no exception.
Japan's exports to Canada during the eleven-month period of 1088 were valued at ¥.13,675,000, while her imports from Canada amounted to Y.84.925,000. This difference of Y.T,- 750,000 accounts for a large part of the actual unfavourable balance of Japan's trade with the countries outside the Japan-Manchoukuo-China yen bloc.
The discrepancy was particularly marked in November, when Japan's impens amounted to Y.11.834,000, while her exports to the Dominion were only Y.1,857,000.
The export figures for the corresponding periods in 1937 and 1936 were Y8506,000 and Y.12,702,000 respectively, whereas the imports during those periods were Y.94,890000 and Y.62,344,000 respectively.
Japan's exports to Canada consist of toys, porcelain ware, rayon and silk textiles, tea and miscellaneous articles. Imports during the 1938 period included wood, Y.3323000, pulp, Y.5045000, and printing paper, ¥.359,000, the latter item comparing with Y.6,235,000 in 1937 and Y.8,026,000 in 1936. Large quantities of nickel, aluminium, and other metals and materials using in manufacturing munitions were imported, but details are not published in Japan. Japan imported no wheat from Canada during the 1938 period, though she took Y.7,271,000 worth in 1937 and Y.10,583,000 in 1936.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.