Japan's trade deficit in 2024 shrank 44 percent
from a year earlier to 5.33 trillion yen ($34 billion), as exports hit a record
high due to robust vehicle and semiconductor-related demand, government data
showed Thursday 23 Jan ’25. While
exports grew 6.2 percent from the year before to 107.09 trillion yen, the
country's trade balance remained in the red for the fourth consecutive year,
with imports climbing 1.8 percent to 112.42 trillion yen, according to the
Finance Ministry.
Japan had a trade surplus of 8.64 trillion yen with
the United States in 2024, down 0.7 percent from the previous year, the
ministry's preliminary report said.
With China, Japan ran a 6.44 trillion yen trade
deficit, down 3.4 percent.
For December alone, Japan reported a 130.9 billion
yen trade surplus, the first black ink in six months. Exports in the reporting month increased 2.8 percent to 9.91 trillion
yen and imports grew 1.8 percent to 9.78 trillion yen from a year earlier.