Light Metal Production in Japan: Japanese Plans Compared with the Industries Already Existing or Developing in Other Countries Available to Purchase

DURING the second half of the year 1938 Japanese efforts to achieve great producing power in aluminium and magnesium have been very intense. Curiously enough, relatively better results are anticipated for the latter, in spite of the greater technical difficulties in the process of the production of pure magnesium than for aluminium. While the most sanguine expectations put the possible output of aluminium in Japan in the neighbourhood of some 100,000 metric tons, or a fifth part of the rated present world production of this light metal per annum, to be attained within the next three years, hopes are being held out of an output within the same period of upwards of 17,000 tons of magnesium, a tonnage that is probably not far off the present total world production of this metal. This total is put at between 20,000 and 25,000 tons, although the number of countries which are regarded as the well‐established magnesium producers was being steadily enlarged during the recent period by newcomers, while there is also another scries of prospective producers. The “old” magnesium producing countries are Germany, U.S.A. and France. As rather younger members of the international magnesium community may be reckoned the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan and Italy, and among the prospective producers are Australia and Poland.