Much of October's import growth was caused by high oil prices, which have since subsided.

This low level of import growth led to the large trade surpluses that emerged in the 1980s.

Import growth in Latin America has been substantial as well.

But the import growth was substantially offset by stronger exports.

Data released earlier showed China's import growth fell sharply in June.

EU companies cannot afford to miss market opportunities in these dynamic areas which already account for half of world import growth.

The bill would hold further import growth to 1 percent a year and freeze imports of non-rubber shoes.

As a result, import growth is flat and Japan is once again relying on exports.

A deficit of $8.7 billion is expected, with import growth likely to be stronger than export growth.

No such agreement was reached with the US, which imposed its own import growth quotas of 7.5% instead.

Fuel economy gains alone cannot control import growth.

Ministry officials attributed the paring of the trade surplus to higher personal consumption and import growth.

Why has import growth remained so strong?

Textile makers, who led the charge to limit import growth to 1 percent annually, reportedly did not expect to win this time around.

"It's a pretty modest recovery, but it sure hasn't been modest in terms of import growth," he said.

The big jump in raw material prices in the 1970s kept import growth high despite lower economic growth.

The EU deal similarly manages import growth until 2008.

Countries like Bangladesh want liberalization to begin now, with generous import growth rates built into any transitional quota system.

The surcharge would be triggered automatically in proportion to any shortfall of the Japanese import growth target.

China's import growth showed an unexpectedly sharp drop in December in a new sign that the world's second-largest economy is slowing.

Yet textile and apparel makers and their unions are demanding more protection, seeking to limit import growth to 1 percent a year.

The biggest single factor in the revision was international trade, which was less of a drag because import growth was lower than initially assumed.

"And slightly slower U.S. economic growth will help curb import growth.

In a sense, import growth over much of this period was constrained by exports, because exports generated the foreign exchange to purchase the imports.

"If we look at the nominal trade balance numbers, 1995 was the first year since since 1991 where export growth outstripped import growth," she said.