Japan Balance of Trade

Last Release

Jul 31, 2025

Actual

-117.55

Units In

JPY Billion

152.1

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Sep 16, 2025

Time to Release

26 Days 23 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
1,608.68 Sep 2007	-3,498.6 Jan 2023	268.92 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’s trade deficit decreased significantly to JPY 117.6 billion in July 2025 from JPY 628.3 billion in the same month a year earlier. However, it missed market expectations for a JPY 196.2 billion surplus. Exports fell 2.6% year-on-year, marking the third consecutive monthly drop and the sharpest decrease since February 2021, exceeding consensus for a 2.1% decline as sweeping U.S. tariffs dampened overseas demand. Meanwhile, imports shrank 7.5%, the fourth contraction so far this year, faring better than the forecast 10.4% fall and reversing a marginally revised 0.3% rise in June.