TOKYO, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Japan posted a trade deficit of 1.71 trillion yen (about 10.7 billion U.S. dollars) in fiscal 2025, marking the fifth consecutive year in the red, as higher U.S. tariffs imposed since April 2025 weighed on automobile exports, government data showed Wednesday.
For the fiscal year from April 2025 to March 2026, exports rose 4 percent from a year earlier to 113.24 trillion yen, supported by demand for semiconductors and other electronic devices, while imports edged up 0.5 percent to 114.96 trillion yen amid higher prices for platinum and other nonferrous metals, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.
Goods bound for the United States declined 6.6 percent, marking the first fall in five years, with automobile exports dropping a steep 15.9 percent.
For March alone, Japan recorded a trade surplus of 667 billion yen, up 25.9 percent from the previous year as exports climbed 11.7 percent and imports increased 10.9 percent. Crude oil imports rose for a third straight month by volume, up 2.4 percent. ■
