Japanese Turn Back To Wool

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30886, 20 October 1965, Page 26

Japanese Turn Back To Wool

A survey made in March of this year indicated that about 70 per cent of the people in the big cities of Japan knew of the International Wool Secretariat’s Woolmark. Dr. Fujio Bekku, manager of the science and technology department of the International Wool Secretariat in Japan, said in Christchurch.

Woolmark is the secretariat’s symbol of a quality product made of wool.

Dr. Bekku, who is leading a study group consisting of 17 representatives of all sectors of the woollen industry in Japan, said that this awareness of Woolmark was an indication of its degree of penetration into Japanese life. A further reflection of this interest was that to date more than 700 applications had been received for permission to use the mark and so far about 400 companies had been licensed to use it. Over Production

Dr. Bekku said he felt that, in sympathy with the rest of the Japanese economy, the textile industry had been going through a period when there was a steadying in the tempo of activity, but the woollen, industry was not in a bad condition at all. The synthetic industry, however, had been running into trouble with over production and it was stopping taking on more staff and there were even suggestions of staff reductions.

Discussing the apparent decline in the fortunes of the synthetic fibre industry in Japan, Dr. Bakku said Japanese people had traditionally like'd natural fibres. They were naturally rather conservative and were concerned with qualities like appearance and handle. After the war, however, when there was no wool or cotton available there had been a remarkable development of the synthetic fibre industry and the'Government had encouraged it. Now, however, people had come to realise the disadvantages of synthetic fibres, and were coming back to wool to his opinion. Similarly, Dr. Bekku said, he felt there was a growing demand for silf. After the war Dr. Bekku noted that wool had been used in the manufacture of kimonos, once made only of silk, but now in addition these garments were" being made out of a blend of wool and silk, the silk content being about 10 to 20 per cent. Greater Interest Dr. Bekku, who is concerned with product development and technical service to industry, and quality control for Woolmark in Japan, said that interest in the secretariat’s technical service to industry in Japan had been at a low level initially but now he

thought all of the woollen industry in Japan was aware of the secretariat’s technical department and that it could help industry to make more profits. The group that Dr. Bekku is leading includes spinners, weavers, dyers, finishers, representatives of carpet and garment manufacturers and also of an organisation which buys raw wool and processes it right through to cloth. Dr. Bekku said it was most important for people like those in the group to sec the sheep and various raw materials that were produced in countries like New Zealand They were particularly interested in coarse wool and the blending of coarse wools. Generally speaking, he said, the woilen industry and knitting industry were weak points in the Japanese industry from a technical point of view, and he hoped that out of the studies they were making might develop an increase in the demand from Japan for the coarse wools of which New Zealand was a producer. Yesterday the group visited the carpet factory at Riccarton. Lincoln College and the Wool Research Organisation. Today they will call at the farms of Mr B. H. Pridie at Methven and Mr A. C. Wright at Dunsandel.