According to preliminary trade statistics for April released by the Ministry of Finance on May 20, exports totaled 10,507.3 billion yen (up 23.2% year-on-year), marking the eighth consecutive month of increase, while imports totaled 10,205.4 billion yen (up 27.8%), marking the third consecutive month of increase.
The trade deficit between exports and imports was 6345 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 | 11 billion yen | 12 billion yen |
| Year-on-year | +23.2% | +27.8% |
Table showing the trends in export and import values compared to the same month of the previous year.
The items that saw an increase in exports were automobiles (up 19.5%), semiconductors and other electronic components (up 49.1%), and semiconductor manufacturing equipment (up 40.9%).
The items that saw an increase in imports were crude oil (up 87.8%), semiconductors and other electronic components (up 79.7%), and non-ferrous metals (up 67.7%).
