Wiley Japanese

HAVING retired from my none too easy career of getting British exports into Japan, I have had time to read back copies of The Press which a neighbour saved for me.

The Letters column intrigues me, particularly on the theme of career politicians not up to the job and “over filling” the country with people.

In the 1970s, people may have wondered why suddenly Japanese cars and motorbikes took a big hold in the British market, including the Datsun Sunny and Kawasaki bikes. As well as Brits seemingly keen to spend their hard-earned cash on foreign products and the strikes at British Leyland, there was another factor.

When the Japanese government got wind of shiploads of Austins, Fords, BSAs, Triumphs etc heading for Japan, they would suddenly alter the emission laws so the cargoes would have to return to the UK for modification.

I witnessed this several times while I was there.

Matthew Challoner, Heath Drive, Boston Spa.

Comments(4)

ColdAsChristmas says...
3:46pm Sat 13 Oct 12

Yes Matthew, I remember a shipload of Jaguar cars that had to have their rear lights a certain distance from the ground. (Or apart) This was one case where the Japanese were defeated. A modification was made in Coventry and an engineer dispatched to Japan to bring the vehicles to the new Japanese specification.
The Japanese did all they could to protect their home market from imported goods while their own exports grew at an astonishing rate.
Do you remember Fort Dunlop in Birmingham? The Japanese bought it, closed it down and moved production to Kobe, Japan.
At the end of the day it is the gullible British public who bought the foreign goods instead of supporting British jobs. Public bodies such as the Police are as much to blame. Even the Royal Mail are using French made vans today. What hope is there unless we educate people to understand basic economics. Under Mrs Thatcher the manufacturing sector was let go in favour of the service sector, even some Union leaders went along with that rubbish. (Bit like Global Warming)British Manufacturing not already foreign owned has for the most part had to start again instead of developing from what we already had. There is a cost to that, mostly of lost skills.

Buzz Light-year says...
8:43pm Sat 13 Oct 12

Wiley Japanese

Unless the Japanese are getting heavily into the London grime scene, I think the word the headline writer wanted was "wily"

Friedrich Hayek says...
3:10pm Sun 14 Oct 12

Strange thing is they make such bloody good cameras.

ColdAsChristmas says...
9:15pm Sun 14 Oct 12

So did Kershaw and even the East German's come to that!

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree