According to provisional January-June 2020 Japanese apparel import statistics, as compiled by The Japan Textiles Importers Association based on Ministry of Finance trade statistics, first-half apparel imports fell 14.2% year-on-year to 1,220,517 million yen. In tonnage, imports dropped 12.0% to 412,456 tons.
The impact of the coronavirus showed a difference among apparel supplying countries. Imports from China posted double-digit declines both in value and tons, and the share of Chinese apparel in total imports fell below 60%. Meanwhile, imports from ASEAN decreased by 5-7% both in value and tons, and their share surpassed 30%.
Imports from China decreased by 16.8% in value to 669,421 million yen, and by 13.9% in weight to 243,372 tons. Imports decreased for all items of knitwear, woven garments and accessories.
Imports from ASEAN declined by 5.5% in value to 390,828 million yen, and by 6.3% in weight to 127,320 tons. Imports of knitwear decreased by about 9% both in value and quantity, while imports of woven garments remained about the same quantity as the year before.
Imports from Vietnam (the second largest apparel supplier to Japan) decreased by 3.0% in value to 203,223 million yen, and by 5.4% in weight to 62,168 tons. Imports of knitwear decreased by around 10% both in value and quantity, while imports of woven garments posted increases.
Myanmar was the only supplier among the top ten to achieve increases in both value and tonnage. Imports from Myanmar increased for all items of knitwear, woven garments and accessories. Imports from the other nine suppliers decreased both in value and tons.
The decreases were especially sharp for Italy (seventh largest supplier) and India (ninth), from which imports fell nearly 30% both in value and tons.
Imports also decreased sharply from Bangladesh (third) and Indonesia (sixth), with the decreases ranging from 11% to 16% both in value and tons. Imports from Bangladesh began to decrease from May, and attention is being paid to the future movements of imports from Bangladesh.