Japan Electric Wire & Cable Import Rises by 24% in F2005

Japanese electric wire and cable import increased by 24% to 425.386 billion yen including optical fiber and cable in fiscal 2005 ended March 2006 from fiscal 2004, according to the industry export association. The import reached 400 billion yen for the first time. The balance was net import for 4 years in a row. The import of transport equipment electric wire, which represented more than 50% of total import, increased by 28% lifting the total value. The import from China, which represented near 50% of total import, increased by 28% while Vietnam became the second largest supplier to Japan from third in fiscal 2004.Electric wire makers accelerate the shift to offshore production mainly for automobile wiring harness and machinery electric wire in years. Japanese import from those transplants in China and Southeast Asia expands every year. With the higher import, net import expanded to 163.9 billion yen in fiscal 2005 compared with 110 billion yen in fiscal 2003 and 2004.