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What are Japan's main exports and imports? |
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Japan's trade used to be marked by imports of raw materials and energy resources, which were used to manufacture industrial products for export. But recently, manufactured imports have been increasing. This is because the Japanese are buying more foreign goods, whose prices have come down due to the strong yen, and because import-promotion policies have been adopted to correct the trade imbalance.Manufactured imports accounted for 59.3% of all imports in 1997 by value, twice the share they claimed almost a decade ago. The total value of imports in 1997 was $338.7 billion, against $420.8 billion for exports. The main export items were machineries, including computers, accounting for 32.3% of the total. Other major export categories were electrical appliances (32%) and cars and other transport equipment (29.2%). The list of imports was headed by machinery products, including cars, television sets, videocassette recorders, computers, cameras, and watches, which accounted for 28.0% of the total. In second place came petroleum and other energy resources (18.4%), followed by foodstuffs (14.5%) and iron ore and other minerals (5.3%). Japanese are now surrounded by imports in the things they wear and use every day: their clothing and footwear, tables, sofas and other furniture, carpets, china, bags and accessories, stationery, toys, and countless other items. Photo courtesy of Tokyo Metropolitan Government. |
| Foodstuffs | Textiles | Chemical products | Nonmetallic mineral products | Metal and metal products | Machinery and equipment | Others | Total |
| 2,209 | 8,319 | 29,965 | 5,164 | 26,779 | 310,417 | 38,042 | 420,895 |
| Foodstuffs | Textile materials | Metal ores and scrap | Other raw materials | Fossil fuels | Chemical products | Machinery and equipment | Others | Total |
| 46,148 | 1,533 | 8,606 | 29,305 | 62,228 | 23,645 | 95,005 | 72,234 | 338,704 |
Source: Ministry of Finance, customs clearance statistics.
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