950807

Japan to hold

imported

car shows

TOKYO: The Japan Automobile Importers Association (JAIA) said it would hold imported car shows in five Japanese cities between November and next February 1996, with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) as co-sponsor.

The shows will be held in Osaka on November 23-26, in Nagoya on January 13-15, in Sapporo on January 27-28, in Yokohama on February 2-4 and in Fukuoka on February 10-12.

Sales of imported vehicles rose a steep 31.4 percent from a year earlier to 221,403 in January-July this year, it said.

In calender 1994, 301,391 imported vehicles were sold in Japan, up 49.6 percent from the previous year, JAIA said.

Exhibitions of smaller imported cars have been planned for 20 other cities in cooperation with JAIA and JETRO.

JETRO will spend nearly 500 million yen in the year to March 1996 to promote Japanese sales of imported cars, a JETRO spokesman said.

Japan has been holding such shows since 1992 to try to cut its huge trade surplus.-Reuter