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marily to gain or protect sources of raw
materials rather than to acquire living
space for her growing population. (}a–
pan
has
today a population of dose to
105 million compared to only 70 mil–
lion in 1936 - and sbe is still able
to absorb tbem all.)
However, with ooly limited land
area, sbe must import food to feed her
hungry millions. Even with spectacular
increases in rice production in the past
tweoty years she still falls short of her
needs.
Japan has ceasonable amounts of
coal, but must still import about 40%
of her total requirements and 58% of
the critica! coking coal. Crude petro–
leum is a crucial power source - Japan
must import over 99% of her needs,
most of it coming from the Persian
Gulf area. Taokers shippiog petroleum
from the Middle East to Japanese ports
represeot a veritable ocean pipeline.
Japan is critically short of otber caw
materials vital to modero industry. She
must import 98% of her .iron ore needs
and 86% of her copper. Sbe is
toJalty
depeodent oo other natioos for
all
of
her bauxite ( aluminum ore) aod crude
rubber as well as cotton and wool for
her huge textile industry!
Whereas other industrial powers have
had tremendous sources of caw mate–
rials within easy access, Japao has had
to range far and wide to supply the
ever-growing demands of ber industry.
But she is willing to do so. Her aggres–
sive businessmen tcavel tbroughout the
world to find new sources of raw mate–
rials. They sign long-term, exclusive
contracts foc exploitation of those re–
serves. Then engineers and technicians
move in to start things moving.
Japanese ships of gargantuan size
haul ores, oil, other products to her
ports and otber sbips transport finished
products to nearly every nation oo
earth. Because of her efiicient shipping,
manufacturing and fioancing, as well as
low-cost labor, Japan is able to meet
competition in almost every field she
has entered. She can even undersell
American steel producers right in the
U. S.
While .American labor is pricing
American products out of world mar-
kets, Japanese workers and employers
cooperate to build up their foreign
trade. As a result, Japan is stepping in
and taking over many foreign markets
once traditionally beld by tbe U. S.
But there are otber reasons for
Japan's remarkable growth.
From Defeat to Power
Just after World War II, the vic–
torious Allies stripped Japan of much
of her industrial capacity and shipped
whole manufacturing plants to soutb–
east Asían nations. Japan was Jeft with
only a fraction of her war-time industrial
capacity. Miraculously tbis turned to her
advantage. When Japan began to
rebuild her industry, it was with new
equipmeot and techniques - processes
and machines ten to twenty years ahead
of many Western competitors.
Another boon to Japan's industry was
the Korean War. Tbe U. S. purchased
between two and tbree billion dollars'
wortb of war-related materiel from
Japan. Much of tbis was new, highly
refined electronics gear. After the Ko–
rean conflict cooled off, Japan easily
sbifted to the mass production of con–
sumer goods using the technology
leamed in war production. She quickly
became expert in transistorized circuits.
Added to the war revenue, Japan
received about
$4
billion in foreign aid
from the United States. And, shielded
by Washington's "nuclear umbrella,"
Japanese governments have spent only
a fraction of each annual budget
on national defense. Instead, govern–
ment reveoues have been funneled into
economic development. These tre–
mendous advantages have given Japan
tbe boost she needed to step into the
choice club of industrial nations.
Two other boons to Japan's rapid
industrialization were the efficient system
of mass technical education, and tbe
liberal government encouragement of
industries. Near-monopoly trusts were
not restricted, but foreign investments
were restricted.
Today Japan is actually number ooe
in many fields: sbipbuilding, pianos,
cameras, transistorized television sets.
She is the world's second largest manu–
facturer of trucks and automobiles,