Japanese Deny U.S. Plastics Firms’ Claim

Japanese industrial machinery manufacturers Monday denied a claim by the American plastics industry that rising imports of injection molding machines are threatening the United States’ national security.

The denial followed the Jan. 11 filing of a petition against Japanese and European manufacturers by the Society of the Plastics Industry under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

The petition requires the secretary of commerce to determine within a year whether imports are injuring the domestic industry, thus increasing the military’s dependence on foreign-made machines.

Acting on a recommendation by the commerce secretary, the President may take whatever action is deemed necessary to adjust the imports to lessen any threat to national security.

In its rebuttal, submitted to the Commerce Department on Monday, the Japan Society of Industrial Machinery Manufacturers said that only about 4% of about 80,000 molding machines in use in the United States are for military purposes. Moreover, most of the Pentagon’s current purchases of plastics products are such items as compression-molded Kevlar fiber reinforced battle helmets, blow-molded canteens and fiberglass hulls for mine sweepers.

In addition, the society has projected that imports of plastics-fabricating machinery will peak in 1987-88 and then decline to about 30% of the total demand in dollar terms by 2000.