Japan Balance of Trade

Last Release

Apr 30, 2025

Actual

-115.85

Units In

JPY Billion

559.4

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Jun 17, 2025

Time to Release

26 Days 23 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
1,608.68 Sep 2007	-3,498.6 Jan 2023	270.8 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 115.85 billion in April 2025 from JPY 504.69 billion in the same month a year earlier, though it missed market expectations for a JPY 227.1 billion surplus. Exports rose 2% year-on-year to JPY 9,157.16 billion, marking the seventh consecutive month of growth, albeit at the slowest pace in the streak due to headwinds from rising U.S. tariffs. Meanwhile, imports fell 2% to JPY 9,273.00 billion, reversing a 1.8% increase in March and pointing to the second monthly decline this year. However, the drop was smaller than the forecasted 4.5% fall, helped by Tokyo’s measures to cushion domestic demand from rising trade barriers, including fuel subsidies and partial coverage of electricity bills.