According to the Japan Spinners’ Association, spun yarn production by association members in 2016 fell 10.6% from the previous year to 93,911 480-lb. bales. Of this, cotton yarn production dropped 15.3% to 55,519 bales.
Operable spinning spindles numbered 292,000 at the end of December 2016, which is 29,000 less than the beginning of the year.
Meanwhile, 2016 JSA member production of woven fabrics decreased by 5.2% from the previous year to 30.98 million square meters. Of this, cotton fabric production fell 24.9% to 2.40 million square meters, and that of synthetic fabrics decreased by 2.9% to 28.08 million square meters. The sharper decrease for cotton fabrics indicates their poor market conditions and deterioration of competitiveness. The number of looms JSA members had at the end of 2016 was 369.