Japan Balance of Trade

Last Release

May 31, 2025

Actual

-637.61

Units In

JPY Billion

-115.6

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Jul 16, 2025

Time to Release

5 Days 17 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
1,608.68 Sep 2007	-3,498.6 Jan 2023	269.59 JPY Billion	1963-2025	N/A

Between 1980 and 2010 Japan had been recording trade surpluses every year due to rising exports. However, the trade balance swung to deficit in 2011, as the Fukushima nuclear disaster forced the country to increase its purchases of fossil fuels and gas in the wake of weaker yen. The surplus was back in 2016 and 2017, but in 2018 and 2019 Japan's trade balance shifted back into deficit amid persistent trade tensions between the US and China, and sluggish global growth. In 2019, Japan reported the biggest trade surpluses with the US, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and the Netherlands. The biggest trade deficits were recorded with China, Australia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.

Latest Updates

Japan is actively pursuing ministerial-level tariff talks with the U.S., targeting meetings between negotiator Ryosei Akazawa and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during the latter’s visit in Osaka next week, according to the Yomiuri newspaper. Tokyo hopes to host its first tariff talks in-country following seven prior rounds in Washington. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to reach a “mutually beneficial deal” after President Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Japanese imports starting August 1. The government aims for a pre-arrival phone call and in-person meetings between Akazawa and Bessent, and potentially a direct engagement between Ishiba and Bessent as well. Bessent is scheduled to attend the U.S. “National Day” event on July 19 at Expo 2025.