Japan’s nonwoven production was 162,749 tonnes during the first half of this year, representing an increase of 1.3% compared to the same period in 2012. Spunbond and meltblown have kept the largest growth over the past 17 months, with a 12.5% growth during this period. Spunlace has also recorded a 9.5% increase over the past 14 months. These processes have driven active nonwoven growth in Japan, said Japanese nonwovens association ANNA. The processes are mainly for hygiene and wipes applications and growth of these exports has increased. Needlepunch, which is mainly used for automotive applications, is still suffering due to the late recovery of automotive production and the shift to a small car trend.