Base metals and articles of base metal (15)
Base metals and articles of base metal (statistical code 15): imports in August 2026 were JPY 572,827,975,000 (+36.9% year on year). Main origins: People's Republic of China (27.3%), Republic of Korea (8.4%), United States of America (7.8%), Taiwan (5.4%), Thailand (5.3%). Figures for August 2026 are preliminary.
Exports in the same month were JPY 845,080,342,000, a trade surplus of JPY 272,252,367,000. (imports: preliminary; exports: revised)
Export statistics for this code
Monthly statistics
| Month | Status | Import value | Quantity | Unit price | Year-on-year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | preliminary | JPY 572,827,975,000 | — | — | +36.9% |
| July 2026 | revised | JPY 648,993,774,000 | — | — | +39.8% |
| June 2026 | revised | JPY 589,420,232,000 | — | — | +30.4% |
| May 2026 | revised | JPY 510,971,330,000 | — | — | +15.1% |
| April 2026 | revised | JPY 535,961,622,000 | — | — | +12.4% |
| March 2026 | revised | JPY 519,901,254,000 | — | — | +19.2% |
| February 2026 | revised | JPY 448,035,093,000 | — | — | +15.3% |
| January 2026 | revised | JPY 517,154,000,000 | — | — | +5.8% |
| December 2025 | revised (second) | JPY 465,442,519,000 | — | — | -0.3% |
| November 2025 | revised (second) | JPY 451,354,768,000 | — | — | +3.4% |
| October 2025 | revised (second) | JPY 470,145,758,000 | — | — | -4.7% |
| September 2025 | revised (second) | JPY 468,507,321,000 | — | — | +8.2% |
| August 2025 | revised (second) | JPY 418,332,475,000 | — | — | +0.0% |
| July 2025 | revised (second) | JPY 464,273,566,000 | — | — | -10.4% |
| June 2025 | revised (second) | JPY 452,072,899,000 | — | — | +3.2% |
| May 2025 | revised (second) | JPY 444,016,772,000 | — | — | -4.8% |
| April 2025 | revised (second) | JPY 476,699,521,000 | — | — | +8.9% |
| March 2025 | revised (second) | JPY 436,022,223,000 | — | — | +12.5% |
| February 2025 | revised (second) | JPY 388,585,291,000 | — | — | -0.8% |
| January 2025 | revised (second) | JPY 489,010,658,000 | — | — | +17.7% |
| December 2024 | final | JPY 467,052,958,000 | — | — | +17.8% |
| November 2024 | final | JPY 436,686,521,000 | — | — | +2.5% |
| October 2024 | final | JPY 493,076,316,000 | — | — | +11.5% |
| September 2024 | final | JPY 432,859,064,000 | — | — | +3.2% |
Subcategories
- Iron and steel.
- Articles of iron or steel.
- Copper and articles thereof.
- Nickel and articles thereof.
- Aluminium and articles thereof.
- Lead and articles thereof.
- Zinc and articles thereof.
- Tin and articles thereof.
- Other base metals; cermets; articles thereof.
- Tools, implements, cutlery, spoons and forks, of base metal; parts thereof of base metal.
- Miscellaneous articles of base metal.
Long-term trend (from 2022)
Imports in 2022 were JPY 5,621,531,576,000; in 2025, JPY 5,424,463,771,000, about 96% of the 2022 level.
| Year | Imports | Exports | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | JPY 4,343,265,280,000 | JPY 6,558,614,650,000 | surplus JPY 2,215,349,370,000 |
| 2025 | JPY 5,424,463,771,000 | JPY 8,746,536,725,000 | surplus JPY 3,322,072,954,000 |
| 2024 | JPY 5,303,405,607,000 | JPY 8,960,754,734,000 | surplus JPY 3,657,349,127,000 |
| 2023 | JPY 5,087,169,650,000 | JPY 8,751,726,584,000 | surplus JPY 3,664,556,934,000 |
| 2022 | JPY 5,621,531,576,000 | JPY 8,831,920,610,000 | surplus JPY 3,210,389,034,000 |
Some goods moved between chapters with the HS revisions of 1996, 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017 and 2022.
API and MCP
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