Patent ID: 7871946

Claim:
A nonwoven fabric comprising: ultra-fine continuous fibers of a water-insoluble thermoplastic resin having a mean fineness of not more than 0.5 dtex and a fine crimp; and a water-soluble thermoplastic polyvinyl alcohol in a proportion of 0.03 to 4.0% by weight relative to the nonwoven fabric; wherein not less than 30% of the surface of the nonwoven fabric constitutes the water-soluble thermoplastic polyvinyl alcohol, wherein said nonwoven fabric has an absorbing height of 50 to 300 mm as determined at 20° C. after 10 minutes based on Byreck method when the nonwoven fabric is immersion-treated for 60 minutes in water at 80° C., and satisfies the following formula: ( B )/( A )≧0.25 wherein the symbol (B) represents a tensile strength [N/5 cm] in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the nonwoven fabric and the symbol (A) represents a fabric weight [g/m 2 ] of the nonwoven fabric, wherein said nonwoven fabric is produced by removing the water-soluble thermoplastic polyvinyl alcohol from a continuous conjugate fiber having a conjugate cross-section of an islands-in-the-sea-shaped form comprising a sea component composed of the water-soluble thermoplastic polyvinyl alcohol and an island component composed of the water-insoluble thermoplastic resin.