Japan (Hansard, 17 May 1972)

§ Mr. Skeet
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the balance of trade between the United Kingdom and Japan for 1970 and 1971; and what were the principal export items in each case and their value.

§ Mr. Noble
Figures for the trade balance are not available for individual countries. Figures of imports cif and exports fob are published, but the difference between them is not a good measure of the visible trade balance because,inter alia, of the difference in the bases of valuation. Figures for exports by Division for 1970 are given in Table III of Volume I of the Annual Statement of Trade for 1970 and for 1971 in Table 125W V of the December 1971 issue of the Overseas Trade Statistics.

§ Mr. Skeet
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the value of imports into the United Kingdom from Japan over each of the past five

UNITED KINGDOM IMPORTS FROM JAPAN

1967 £ thousand (c.i.f.) 1968 £ thousand (c.i.f.) 1969 £ thousand (c.i.f.) 1970 £ thousand (c.i.f.) 1971 £ thousand (c.i.f.) percentage changes 1971 compared with 1970

Steel^* 1,373 4,948 3,860 4,575 20,050 +338

Ball, roller or needle roller bearings 848 1,207 1,290 2,050 3,793 +85

Television sets 22 147 351 1,795 6,225 +247

Other electronic consumer good † 3,238 4,286 2,936 5,148 11,224 +118

Other electrical machinery apparatus and appliances 4,354 6,330 6,996 9,358 12,787 +37

Polyester fibres, tow and waste ‡§ N/A 53 28 88 210 +139

^* Ingots and other primary forms; bars, rods, angles, shapes and sections; universals, plates and sheets, hoop and strip; certain rail and railway track materials; tubes, pipes and fittings; castings and forgings, unworked; and railway locomotive axles, tyres and wheels.

† Radio receivers, sound amplifier sets, gramophones, tape recorders and other electronic recording and reproduction apparatus (excluding dictating machines), television image and sound recorders and deaf aids.

‡Defined by tariff Code Numbers 5601 0395, 5602 0304 and 5604 0239. These headings include some fibres, waste and two other than of polyester, but it is believed that most of the imports are of polyester.

§The figures for 1970 and 1971 are not precisely comparable with those for 1967–69

UNITED KINGDOM IMPORTS FROM JAPAN
	1967 £ thousand (c.i.f.)	1968 £ thousand (c.i.f.)	1969 £ thousand (c.i.f.)	1970 £ thousand (c.i.f.)	1971 £ thousand (c.i.f.)	percentage changes 1971 compared with 1970
Steel^*	1,373	4,948	3,860	4,575	20,050	+338
Ball, roller or needle roller bearings	848	1,207	1,290	2,050	3,793	+85
Television sets	22	147	351	1,795	6,225	+247
Other electronic consumer good †	3,238	4,286	2,936	5,148	11,224	+118
Other electrical machinery apparatus and appliances	4,354	6,330	6,996	9,358	12,787	+37
Polyester fibres, tow and waste ‡§	N/A	53	28	88	210	+139
^* Ingots and other primary forms; bars, rods, angles, shapes and sections; universals, plates and sheets, hoop and strip; certain rail and railway track materials; tubes, pipes and fittings; castings and forgings, unworked; and railway locomotive axles, tyres and wheels.
† Radio receivers, sound amplifier sets, gramophones, tape recorders and other electronic recording and reproduction apparatus (excluding dictating machines), television image and sound recorders and deaf aids.
‡Defined by tariff Code Numbers 5601 0395, 5602 0304 and 5604 0239. These headings include some fibres, waste and two other than of polyester, but it is believed that most of the imports are of polyester.
§The figures for 1970 and 1971 are not precisely comparable with those for 1967–69