vessels; pages 805 - 833 of the source lists the names and addresses of 
these other firms. 
Small boats used in the coastal fisheries can in many cases be 
repaired locally. Fishing villages, particularly the larger ones, have 
their own works for engine repair. The Japanese fisherman is a capable 
engineer in the sense that he can repair, disassemble and reassemble the 
engine on his particular boat. This, of course, is not true of the more 
complicated Diesel engines. 
Salt Production 2/ 
In the processing of fish for domestic consumption salt will be 
the single most critical item. Before the war Japan was the largest salt 
importing country of the world, importing during the period 1935 - 1939 
about 1.3 million metric tons. 3/ Domestic production averaged about 
600,000 tons annually. Since January 1942 salt for home consumption has 
been rationed. 
The apparent consumption of salt in Japan proper was about 1.9 
million tons per year in the prewar period; of this approximately 800,000 - 
850,000 tons were required for household consumption and the food industries. 
The amount used for the salting of fish was 53,000 metric tons in 1937 and 
57,000 tons in 1938. Much larger amounts of salt were consumed in the 
chemical industries — 1.4 million tons in 1938. 
57 This section is largely based upon the report prepared by the U. S. 
Tariff Commission, "Japanese Trade Studies, Special Industry Analysis 
No. 20 — Salt*" June 1945. 
3/ About one—third of prewar imports were from Formosa, Manchuria and 
Kwantung and one-sixth from China. 
-245- 
16-031 P291 bu 
