According to preliminary trade statistics for September released by the Ministry of Finance on October 22, exports totaled 9,413.7 billion yen (up 4.2% year-on-year), the first increase in five months, while imports totaled 9,648.3 billion yen (up 3.3%), the first increase in three months.
The trade deficit between exports and imports was -2346 billion yen, marking the third consecutive month of losses.
<Export and import figures and year-on-year comparison for July>
| Output | 輸入 | |
| Amount of money | 9 billion yen | 9 billion yen |
| Year-on-year | +4.2% | +3.3% |
<Trends in export and import values and year-on-year changes>
The items that saw an increase in exports were semiconductors and other electronic components (up 12.6%), mineral fuels (up 46.9%), and raw materials (up 26.6%).
Imports of the following items increased: computers (up 28.0%), telecommunications equipment (up 14.7%), and aircraft (up 205.6%). Imports of the following items decreased: coal (down 31.1%), crude oil (down 8.6%), and liquefied natural gas (down 13.3%).
Ministry of Finance / Trade statistics for early October: Exports up 4.1%, imports down 1.6%
