Trading Partner - Economy - Explore Japan - Kids Web Japan

Explore Japan

Economy and Industry

Q. With which countries does Japan trade the most?

A.

In terms of exports, Japan’s largest trading partner is the United States, which accounts for 22.5% of Japan’s exports. Second is China (excluding Hong Kong) at 13.5%, followed by South Korea, Taiwan, and then several East Asian countries. In terms imports, Japan’s largest trading partner is China, which accounts for 21.0% of Japan’s imports. Second is the United States at 12.4%, followed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and other countries that are major producers of natural resources.

It is no longer appropriate to think of world trade simply as the exchange of finished products. Japan is one of the countries at the center of economic globalization, whereby the process of production itself spans several countries.

Blouses sold in Japan featuring cartoon characters, for instance, show how complex the international division of labor has become. Japanese companies make polyester and other synthetic fibers out of petroleum products imported from the Middle East, Italian firms weave the fibers into fabric, and Chinese factories produce the blouses using Japanese designs.

Japan's Exports by Destination and Commodity, 2005 (US$ million)
	Food stuff	Raw material	Chemicals	Manufactured goods	Machinery	Transport equipment	Others	Total
United States	510	328	6,894	7,833	53,747	49,622	15,392	134,326
China	356	2,699	10,424	13,190	37,798	4,048	11,660	80,175
Republic of Korea	304	1,385	8,513	8,795	19,695	1,306	6,690	46,688
Taiwan	510	657	7,374	5,988	19,319	3,010	6,775	43,633
Hong Kong	512	168	3,136	3,581	18,120	1,820	8,668	36,005
Thailand	150	235	2,163	5,156	10,798	2,341	1,636	22,479
Germany	21	144	1,207	1,257	9,759	3,511	2,771	18,670
Singapore	72	35	1,207	1,702	9,615	1,992	3,836	18,459
Britain	22	79	823	869	6,759	4,824	1,767	15,092
Netherlands	18	69	978	516	8,362	1,180	2,017	13,140
Other	418	935	10,339	18,222	59,223	64,228	13,654	167,019
Total	2,893	6,734	53,058	67,109	253,144	137,882	74,866	595,686

Japan's Imports by Destination and Commodity, 2005 (US$ million)
	Food stuff	Raw materials	Mineral fuels	Manufactured goods	Machinery	Transport equipment	Other	Total
China	7,867	1,678	3,278	13,126	39,360	1,570	41,771	108,650
United States	13,293	3,553	1,209	3,628	20,699	5,644	16,157	64,183
Saudi Arabia	17	23	28,299	2	0	1	426	28,768
United Arab Emirates	7	8	25,079	237	3	0	29	25,363
Australia	4,208	4,950	12,343	2,257	108	45	641	24,552
Republic of Korea	1,337	341	3,033	4,326	9,601	345	5,471	24,454
Indonesia	906	3,209	10,729	2,615	1,793	168	1,430	20,850
Taiwan	1,041	505	167	2,007	9,505	395	4,473	18,093
Germany	523	130	19	1,270	5,536	4,917	5,456	17,851
Thailand	2,363	1,025	263	1,614	6,370	387	3,561	15,583
Other	18,872	16,380	47,678	18,063	25,538	5,241	36,569	168,341
Total	50,434	31,802	132,097	49,145	118,513	18,713	115,984	516,688

Source: Japan Tariff Association, Summary Report on Trade of Japan

Index