Foreign Trade 
86 / 
Exports . Despite Japan's high domestic consumption, fishery pro¬ 
ducts also entered into its export trade. Certain fisheries, such as the 
Northern fisheries and Antarctic whaling, produced primarily for foreign 
markets, hut the total amount of fishery products exported was only a 
small part of the total Japanese production — probably about 10 percent 
by volume. Many of these export products, however, were of relatively 
high value compared to those consumed domestically and they provided Japan 
with desired foreign exchange. In the period 1935 - 1939 annual exports 
of fish and fishery products (food, oil, meal etc.) averaged more than 
100 million yen and in 1939 was more than 175 million yen (Table 63), 
Although this was but 4-5 percent of the value of all exports, as a 
group, these commodities were second only to textiles (yams and piece 
goods of cotton, silk, rayon and wool). 
During the war period the exports of fishery products to Western 
countries largely stopped due to boycotts and the reduced production. 
The canned packs, smaller than in prewar years, have been used for the 
armed forces and for stockpiling. The trade with Asiatic areas, especially 
those under Japanese control, probably continued insofar as shipping has 
permitted. 
86/ Appendix B contains statistical details of Japan's foreign trade 
in fishery products as recently compiled by the U. S. Tariff Commission. 
Much of the material in this section is based on its report "Japanese 
Trade Studies — Special Industry Analysis No. 27 — Marine Products, H 
August 1945. 
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16-031 P186 tu 
