Report

Special Study Report


Published in March, 2018
Foreign Trade 2018

We are pleased to announce that in March 2018, Japan Foreign Trade Council, Inc. published “Foreign Trade 2018”, with full coverage of Japan's foreign trade statistics on a customs-cleared basis for the previous year.

“Foreign Trade 2018” marks the 43th edition of this publication since it was first released in 1976. Improvements have been added over the years, such as the inclusion of English for bilingual publication, the introduction of figures, and the addition of new information to the data chapter.

We hope you will find this volume useful for example, as a reader for new employee education, as a pocket reference when traveling abroad on business, or as a reference for local employees in foreign countries.

— table of contents —
Main Chapter (PDF)
Chapter 1. Overview of Trade (PDF)
Chapter 2. Trade by Major Area and Country (PDF)
Chapter 3. Trade by Major Commodity (PDF)
Data Chapter (PDF)
Chapter1. Japan's Trade in 2017 (PDF)
Chapter2. Trade Structure (PDF)
Chapter3. Imports of Petroleum (PDF)
Chapter4. Foreign Exchange Rate (PDF)
Chapter5. Fluctuation of International Commodity (PDF)
Chapter6. Developments in the Japanese Economy (PDF)
Chapter7. Trade in Technology (PDF)
Chapter8. Balance of Payments (PDF)
Chapter9. Overseas Direct Investment by Area and Industry (CY2016) (PDF)
Chapter10. Economic Cooperation (PDF)
Chapter11. Comparisons with Major Countries (PDF)
Chapter12. Development in Major Trade Issues 2017 (PDF)
Chapter13. EPAs etc. concluded or under negotiation by Japan (PDF)
Chapter14. FY2018 Outlook for Japan's Trade Balance and Current Account (PDF)
Chapter15. 70 years at a glance (through various data sets) (PDF)
A reference: Research Group
Mail / chosa@jftc.or.jp

  Foreign Trade 2019
  Foreign Trade 2018
  Foreign Trade 2017
  Foreign Trade 2016
  Foreign Trade 2015
  Foreign Trade 2014
Foreign Trade 2013
Foreign Trade 2012
Foreign Trade 2011
Foreign Trade 2010
Foreign Trade 2009
Foreign Trade 2008
Foreign Trade 2007


Published in October, 2012
Research on SOGO SHOSHA: Origins, Establishment, and Development

Summary of the final report
from Japan Foreign Trade Council, Inc.
Special Research Committee on Sogo Shosha Principles Report
PDF (660KB)



Published in January, 2008
Shosha's Challenges in a Changing China
Toward a New Foreign Trade Country

The report represents the result of research, analysis, and discussion among economists from the member trading companies, who focused on the high potential and adaptive abilities of Japanese companies and the Japanese economy, and conducted analysis centered on Japan’s trade and investment relations with overseas economies to answer the question: What must be done to achieve a bright and prosperous future for Japan? The report aims at a medium term perspective, over the next five to ten years.

The Special Research Committee was headed by Professor Fukunari Kimura of the Faculty of Economics of Keio University and met a total of 21 times over the course of 17 months between June 2006 and October 2007. In addition to the energetic debate among Special Research Committee members, leading figures and experts from academia and other industries were invited for interviews and exchanges of opinions, thus advancing the research and study of the Committee.

The starting point for our discussions was an intuitive questioning of the pessimistic future image of Japan that is generally accepted, namely “Japan’s vitality will decline in the face of a declining birthrate, aging society and mature economy.”

The report identifies a large number of issues facing Japan and Japanese companies, including surging prices of natural resources and energy coupled with the emergence of resource-based nationalism, increasingly serious environmental problems, as well as the rapid aging of society and falling birthrates. It goes on to assert that if Japan and Japanese companies can harness their potential and put their highly adaptive abilities to the fore in overcoming the various challenges that are faced, it will be possible to establish Japan as a foreign trade country at a new level, or in other words a “new foreign trade country” and therefore create a midterm vision for a bright and prosperous future for Japan.


— table of contents —
Chapter1. Japan’s “current account balance”: robust trade surplus expansion set to continue
Chapter2. Importance of regional strategy and Asia
Chapter3. Addressing serious issues of resources, energy, and environment
Chapter4. Toward enhanced competitiveness for Japanese companies
Chapter5. Conclusion and recommendations
  Outline of each chapter of the report (PDF)


Published in July, 2003
Shosha's Challenges in a Changing China
Shosha’s Challenges in a Changing China

Summary of the final report
from Japan Foreign Trade Council,Inc. (JFTC) Special Research Project,
”Shosha’s Challenges in a Changing China”

— table of contents —
Foreword
Chapter 1.  Changing China and Changing Shosha’s China Business
Chapter 2.  Shosha’s functions and the China Business Model of the 21st Century
Chapter 3.  Prospects of Shosha’s China Business
¥500- (Consumption tax and Postage included) PDF (682KB)


Published in October, 2001
Transformation of the Sogo-Shosha in the IT Age
/ strategies for the successful eMarketplace
Transformation of the "Sogo-Shosha" in the IT Age
/ strategies for the successful eMarketplace

Summary of the final report
from Japan Foreign Trade Council, Inc. (JFTC) Special Research Project,
"The IT Revolution and Tomorrow’s Trading Firms"
PDF (491KB)


Published in September 2000
The 21st Century as an Age of Advancement
with the Rest of Asia
— New Roles for Japanese Trading Firms —
The 21st Century as an Age of Advancement
with the Rest of Asia
— New Roles for Japanese Trading Firms —

Summary of the final report
from Japan Foreign Trade Council, Inc. (JFTC) Taskforce
on the activities of “shosha” in Asian economies
– their past, present, and future
PDF (494KB)


Published in November 1998
Portrait of Tomorrow’s Trading Firms
Portrait of Tomorrow’s Trading Firms

Summary of the final report
from Japan Foreign Trade Council, Inc. (JFTC) Special Research Project
on the role of trading firms in the past and the new century
PDF (260KB)