Recent Developments in Japan’s Imports from Developing Countries

After a period of relatively slow growth in the first half of the 1980s, the volume of Japanese imports started to increase rapidly. This rapid expansion was led by manufactured imports — their volume increased by 80 per cent between 1985 and 1988, while the overall import volume increased by almost 40 per cent during the same period (Figure 2.1). The magnitude of this increase is even more remarkable when compared with the figures for 1980–5, when the volume of manufactured imports and overall imports increased by 42 per cent and 9.6 per cent respectively. The rate of increase was most spectacular in 1988, when the volume of manufactured imports and overall imports increased by 28 per cent and 17 per cent respectively. Among manufactured imports, particularly notable were electrical machinery and clothing which increased by 120 per cent and 98 per cent respectively from 1985 to 1988.