WHEN Japan took over from Britain as the world’s largest cotton producer it was thanks to production secrets from Bolton.

Now the historical link between the cotton industry in Bolton and Japan will be explored in a major Japanese documentary series.

The prorgramme, which has been commissioned to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Japan opening its ports to the world, will be shown by NHK, the Japanese equivalent of the BBC.

And Bolton Museum will feature in an episode about global trade.

The film crew visited Bolton to see its large collection of bolt labels and stamps, which were used to market cotton all over the world.

The documentary will air in Japan in June.

See The Bolton News for the full details.