Japan’s foreign trade turnover in 2000 amounted to $858.7 billion. (third place in the world after the United States and Germany). In terms of the size of the foreign trade surplus ($ 99.7 billion), it occupies a leading position among other developed countries. The volume of exports in 2000 amounted to 479.2 billion dollars. (7.5% of world exports), imports 379.5 billion dollars. (5.7% of world imports).
In the late 60s of the last century, the share of raw materials and fuel in total imports reached 3/4. By the beginning of the 90s, in connection with the new concepts of the development of the Japanese economy and its reorientation to knowledge-intensive production, the share of raw materials decreased markedly, but nevertheless now exceeds 1/2 of the volume of exports. In Japan’s imports, the leading place continues to be occupied by mineral fuels and raw materials. In the first place is oil.
In terms of exports, Japan ranks third in the world after the United States and Germany. In its structure, industrial goods occupy 98%, including machinery and equipment – 75%. The main item of Japanese exports back in the 80s of the twentieth century. became cars, the proceeds from the sale of which on the world market covers all imports of food and oil. In the 1990s, exports of cars from Japan reached 6 million, their main market was and remains the United States, where about 2.5 million Japanese cars are sold annually, the rest of the exports go mainly to Western Europe.
The export of consumer durable goods is also very important. Japan, as before, remains a major exporter of metals, chemicals, textiles, but their share in total exports is gradually decreasing.
The geographical structure of Japan’s foreign trade has changed in recent decades. Trade relations with South Korea and Taiwan expanded significantly, which became major buyers of a variety of Japanese goods. Japan’s trading partners were the “oil” countries of the Persian Gulf.
The first place in Japanese imports is occupied by the countries of Southeast Asia (28%), and in particular the asEAN member countries. From the countries of this region, Japan imports oil, timber, liquefied natural gas, ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, various products of tropical agriculture.
The second place in Japan’s imports is occupied by the United States (26%) and especially the regions of the Pacific coast, from where both finished products and coal, cotton, wheat, wood, phosphorites, pharmaceuticals, computers come from. The share of Western Europe is also quite large (about 14%). Australia’s share is also increasing. This country now accounts for about 1/2 of all Japanese imports of coal and iron ore, a significant part of wool imports. Recently, Japanese imports from China have grown significantly (about $ 50 billion), including textiles, mineral fuels and raw materials, food. In Japan’s imports from Russia, the first place belongs to wood, the second to coal and the third to fish and other products of marine trade.
As a result of the struggle for new markets, Japan managed to gain significant positions in Australia and New Zealand, expand trade ties with Latin American countries (especially Brazil and Venezuela) and African countries. However, in the first place in Japanese exports (1/3) were and remain the United States, where the main exports of cars, consumer electronics, metalworking and electrical equipment go. The second place belongs to Southeast Asia (1/4), and the third – to Western Europe (1/5). But in general, Japanese industrial exports cover all major regions of the world. First of all, this applies to mechanical engineering.
Another form of Japan’s foreign economic relations, which became of great importance, was the export of capital. This new function has a direct connection with the growth of Japan’s gold and foreign exchange reserves, which provide it with the world championship in this indicator, with the concentration of the world’s largest banks. Japan’s foreign direct investment exceeded $600 billion. The nature of Japan’s investments in the economies of developed and developing countries is very different. For example, almost 1/2 of all Japanese investments in the economy of Western European countries fall on the financial and banking sector and insurance, 1/4 – on the manufacturing industry. Japanese investments in the economy of the countries of the region by the beginning of the 80s reached $ 45 billion, exceeding Western European investments in the Japanese economy by 12.5 times. In developing countries, Japan mainly invests in the extraction of fuels and raw materials.