Japan's total Imports in 2024 were valued at US$742.67 Billion, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Japan's main import partners were: China, the United States and Australia. The top three import commodities were: Mineral fuels, oils, distillation products; Electrical, electronic equipment and Machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers. Total Exports were valued at US$707.39 Billion. In 2024, Japan had a trade deficit of US$35.28 Billion.

Japan receives almost **** of its commodity imports from Asia, as China remains a key trade partner. In 2024, commodities imported from China accounted for a **** percent share of imports on a value basis. The United States followed as the second-largest source of goods entering Japan, while it overtook China as the leading export partner in 2024. What goods are entering Japan? The country’s low energy self-sufficiency and lack of reserves makes ************* like *********, *********************, and **** a key import item. Another commodity group important to domestic manufacturers is electrical machinery, including semiconductors and communications devices. As Japan is home to prominent multinational corporations in the automotive, technology, and consumer electronics industries, semiconductors have become a strategic element to the country’s economic success. While the Japanese government plans to revive the domestic semiconductor industry through financial support, imports of integrated circuits from production areas like Taiwan and South Korea are needed to meet demand. Japan’s import position in the global market Japan’s current account of goods and services is characterized by a deficit as imports exceed exports. The country managed to shrink the deficit in the last decade, but it grew again since 2022. A jump in mineral fuel prices and the weakening of the yen compared to major currencies like the U.S. dollar and euro drove up import costs. Apart from China, major trade partners with whom Japan recorded a negative trade balance include mostly suppliers of ************* like *********, ************, and the ********************.

Imports in Japan decreased to 8599.61 JPY Billion in February from 10606.91 JPY Billion in January of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Japan Imports - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

This graph shows the growth in the U.S. import volume of trade goods from Japan from 1985 to 2023. In 2023, U.S. imports from Japan amounted to approximately 147.34 billion U.S. dollars.

Japan imports for 2023 were 981.84 billion US dollars, a 8.83% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Japan imports for 2022 were <strong>1.077 trillion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>14.72% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Japan imports for 2021 were <strong>938.76 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>17.54% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Japan imports for 2020 were <strong>798.65 billion US dollars</strong>, a <strong>12.1% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Imports of goods and services represent the value of all goods and other market services received from the rest of the world. They include the value of merchandise, freight, insurance, transport, travel, royalties, license fees, and other services, such as communication, construction, financial, information, business, personal, and government services. They exclude compensation of employees and investment income (formerly called factor services) and transfer payments. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Key information about Japan Total Imports

• Japan Total Imports recorded 64.6 USD bn in Jan 2025, compared with a value of 62.8 USD bn in the previous month
• Japan Total Imports data is updated monthly, available from Apr 1995 to Jan 2025, with an average number of 52.7 USD bn
• The data reached an all-time high of 80.7 USD bn in May 2012 and a record low of 21.8 USD bn in Aug 1998

CEIC converts monthly Total Imports into USD. The Ministry of Finance provides Total Imports, CIF, in local currency. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.


Further information about Japan Total Imports

• In the latest reports, Japan Total Imports grew 15.9 % YoY in Jan 2025
• Total Exports grew 5.9 % YoY, to 59.1 USD bn in Jan 2025
• Japan Trade Balance recorded a deficit of 5.5 USD bn in Jan 2025

United States Imports from Japan was US$152.07 Billion during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. United States Imports from Japan - data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on May of 2025.

In 2023, South Africa was the leading exporter of goods to Japan in Africa with a value of over one trillion Japanese yen. Japan mainly imported manufactured goods and metals from South Africa while major imports from Nigeria and Algeria included mineral fuels and petroleum.

In 2023, China imported around 42.6 billion U.S. dollars' worth of electrical machinery and equipment from Japan. In comparison, China's exports of these type of products to Japan totaled 38.04 billion U.S. dollars that year.

Japan’s trade openness has increased significantly in the last decades as the country is working towards market liberalization and the expansion of trade relations. However, despite the increasing number of bilateral agreements created with trading partners, the United States and China remain Japan's biggest export markets. In 2024, the United States received around 20 percent of commodities leaving Japan. China followed with a 17.6 percent share, with general and electrical machinery being major goods exported from Japan to the East Asian partner. What goods are leaving Japan? Japan exported commodities valued at around 107 trillion Japanese yen in 2024. Transport equipment and machinery were the leading commodities leaving the country, driven by the prominence of domestic automotive and machinery brands in the global market. Motor vehicles are a long-standing pillar of the export market, with widely recognized brands like Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Toyota originating from Japan. Japan’s export position in the global market The demand for Japanese goods has been rising globally, pushed by the favorable impression of quality products among consumers and businesses. While Japan is not a heavily trade-dependent nation, the trade openness ratio jumped to an all-time high in 2022, as the sum of imports and exports constituted almost 47 percent share of the gross domestic product. Commodity exports are the main segment in the trade accounts of the Japanese GDP, whereas service exports are a minor segment.

Graph and download economic data for International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Imports: Commodities for Japan (XTIMVA01JPQ664S) from Q1 1955 to Q1 2025 about imports, Japan, trade, and goods.

Graph and download economic data for International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Imports: Commodities for Japan (XTIMVA01JPM659S) from Jan 1958 to Mar 2025 about imports, Japan, trade, and goods.

Japan Imports from United States was US$84.95 Billion during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Japan Imports from United States - data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on June of 2025.

In 2023, around half of Japan's import volume of paper was shipped in from Indonesia. Asian countries were the leading suppliers for paper imports to Japan. In recent years, Japan was the third largest paper manufacturer in the world.

In 2023, the import of goods to Japan from Vietnam was valued at around 23.3 billion U.S. dollars, almost double the amount compared to 2014. That year, electrical machinery and related equipment, as well as related parts were the major commodities exported from Vietnam to Japan.

Japan Imports from China was US$167.12 Billion during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Japan Imports from China - data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on June of 2025.

Imports YoY in Japan decreased to -2.20 percent in April from 1.80 percent in March of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for Japan Imports YoY.

Japanese technology trade imports by business enterprises were valued at 713.7 billion Japanese yen in fiscal year 2022, up from 620.1 billion yen in the previous fiscal year. Major countries from which Japan imported were the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Germany.

In 2022, 43 percent of the total import value of liquefied natural gas to Japan derived from Australia. Since Japan lacks domestic reserves of fossil fuels, it is highly dependent on imports.

Key information about Japan Natural Gas: Imports

• Japan Natural Gas: Imports was reported at 86,582.636 Cub m mn in Dec 2023
• This records a decrease from the previous number of 95,697.000 Cub m mn for Dec 2022
• Japan Natural Gas: Imports data is updated yearly, averaging 69,360.000 Cub m mn from Dec 1975 to 2023, with 49 observations
• The data reached an all-time high of 127,521.000 Cub m mn in 2014 and a record low of 6,150.000 Cub m mn in 1975
• Japan Natural Gas: Imports data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
• The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Association: Energy Sector – Table RB.OPEC.NG: Natural Gas Imports