The sun., 1919-07-09
NJ HON. sHUH TOMB.

Acting Consul General Of Japan IN N. Y.
Specially Written for the Far Eastern
Section Of THE SUN.
Here 10 q fact-very trite and empha-
sized time and again--which our good
American friends seem to be almost ut
terly Innocent OF:
That the United States Of America is
the flower customer OF Japan par excel
lence that for more than half a century
she has ranked and ranks now at the
very top OF our customers.
And It is fairly safe to say that the
real story of what the American market
means to the tradal destiny of Japan has
never been told. For after all 1t Is not
in the past but In the promise OF the
American market for japanese wares
that one should look for the wonder tale
OF International trade.
But OF course. and very naturally, our
American friends are more concerned
with the American export trade to
Japan than what our country can sell to
the United States. And in that 10 q
world OF promise-Quite as great as IN
the possibilities Of the American market
for the Japanese goods.
Take the case Of dyestuffs for an illu-
minatlng instance:
1913, before the great war, japan
bought from the United States aniline
and other dyestuffs to an extent 30 small
that 1t did not figure on the statistical
tables of our imports. Even after the
war had been in progress for more than
a year the item was none too imposing
sudden Jumps I'm Dyestufrs.
III 1915 the total purchase of japan of
the American dye stuffs was valued at
tho stupendous figure OF 1000 yen--or
$40, which Is good enough for the hui
morous column of the Sunday supple
ment. In 1917 our country paid the
American manufacturers 1.767,262 yen,
or ss7s,63l, for similar goods Caustio
soda and soda ash afford another In
| stance quite as emphatic as the dye
stuffs. Before the war the total I'M
rortation OF these articles from the
United States amounted In value to 161.-
9s7 yen. In 1915 II rose to 2.559,s5s
yen. but last year we saw II rise to the
unprecedented figure OF moro than H.
$4,000 yen. Indeed in 1918 Japan was
Americas greatest customer in cauFtic
soda and soda ash. japanese pur-
chases amounted to some s0.0oo,oOO
pounds, valued at 11.s73.ss0 yen.
War of course was the cause OF this
abnormal expansion Of American exports
Of chemicals into Japan. But In other
items of trade the growth In the last
few years has been nothing short Of SEN
! sational. Cotton for example: The
raw cotton exported from the United
States into Japan IN 1916 was valued
at 7s.s70.000 yen: in 1913 the amount
rorc to 205,10S.12s yen. Iron bars. rods,
plates, sheets end wire made quite as
sensational a seosrd as anything else.
In 1915 the American exports in this line
of goods was valued at little more
than 4l,06s. 900 yen; IN 1918 the amount
was valued at more than 1s4,19s,0oo
yen.
| Japanese purchases In 1918 Of Ameri-
can iron pipes and tubes amounted In
value to nearly five times that OF 1915.
| She paid the United States more than
l6,417,oo0 yen for construction materials
In 1918. In 1915 the amount of JAPAN
csc importation of the same sort of
goods from America was valued at 798,-
CAT yen-less than one-twentieth the
| amount we paid last year. Another
field In which the United States gained
| ire mendously Is that of machinery. Take.
for example, the case OF spinning ma
chinery. Spinning is one Of the largest
| industries in the empire and textile
machinery takes the first rank among