September Trade Statistics: Exports JPY 10.9722 Trillion, Imports JPY 11.5088 Trillion, Deficit JPY 536.6 BillionIn September, Japan again bought more than it sold
In the provisional trade statistics for September 2026 (Reiwa 8), released by the Ministry of Finance (Japan Customs) on October 21, 2026, exports were JPY 10.9722 trillion, up 16.7% year on year, and imports were JPY 11.5088 trillion, up 18.9%. The balance was a deficit of JPY 536.6 billion, 93.2% wider than the JPY 277.7 billion deficit in the same month last year. Both exports and imports grew, but imports grew faster, so the deficit widened.
- Exports
- JPY 10.9722 trillion
- − Imports
- JPY 11.5088 trillion
- Balance (deficit)
- ▲ JPY 536.6 billion
Key points
- Exports were JPY 10.9722 trillion (10,972,254 million yen), up 16.7% year on year; the figure for the same month last year was JPY 9.4049 trillion
- Imports were JPY 11.5088 trillion (11,508,812 million yen), up 18.9% year on year; the figure for the same month last year was JPY 9.6826 trillion
- The balance was a deficit of JPY 536.6 billion, 93.2% wider than the JPY 277.7 billion deficit a year earlier
- All figures are provisional and may be revised in the final release
What to do in practice
- If you have purchases or sales denominated in foreign currency, check the gap between the rate used when the transaction was booked and the rate at settlement
- Review how rising import costs affect your cost of sales, selling prices and the assumptions in your quotations
In September, Japan sold about JPY 11 trillion of goods abroad and bought about JPY 11.5 trillion of goods from abroad. Buying was about JPY 500 billion more than selling, so the balance was a deficit. Compared with the deficit last September (about JPY 277.7 billion), the deficit roughly doubled. Both the amount sold and the amount bought grew a lot from last year.
Points
- The amount sold abroad was about JPY 11 trillion, 16.7% more than last September
- The amount bought from abroad was about JPY 11.5 trillion, 18.9% more
- Because buying was larger, the balance was a deficit of about JPY 536.6 billion
What the words mean
- Trade balance
- The amount sold abroad minus the amount bought from abroad
- Provisional figures
- Numbers published early so people hear them sooner; they can be corrected later
- Ministry of Finance (Japan Customs): Japan Customs: Trade Statistics for September 2026 (Reiwa 8), provisional
- Ministry of Finance (Japan Customs): Japan Customs: Recent trade statistics releases
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