Japan's exports to US fall as tariffs bite
In December, Tokyo's exports to Washington fell 11.1% to 1.81 trillion yen ($11.4 billion), with the trade surplus shrinking 31.7% to 690.6 billion yen ($4.4 billion).
Japan's exports to the United States dropped 11.1% in December and slipped more than four% last year, official figures showed Thursday, as tariffs bite.
In 2025, Japan's exports to the United States fell 4.1%, contributing to a 12.6% decline in Tokyo's trade surplus with Washington to 7.5 trillion yen ($47 billion), finance ministry data showed.
A drop in the number of cars and auto parts exported, as well as rise in imports of liquified petroleum gas, cereals and power-generating machines, were primary factors in Tokyo's shrinking trade surplus with Washington, according to the data.
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In December, Tokyo's exports to Washington fell 11.1% to 1.81 trillion yen ($11.4 billion), with the trade surplus shrinking 31.7% to 690.6 billion yen ($4.4 billion).
In July, Tokyo and Washington announced a trade deal lowering tariffs to 15% from a feared 25%.
Crucially, that reduction included the auto sector, an industry that accounted for 30% of Japanese exports to the United States in 2024.
However, Tokyo officials and business leaders have said the 15% tariffs are still high compared with the period before the second Trump administration.
Japan's overall trade account logged a deficit of 2.65 trillion yen in 2025, its fifth consecutive deficit.
