According to Japanese apparel production statistics, released from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), 2018 production decreased by 2.3% from the previous year to 96.22 million units, which is below 100 million units for the second consecutive year.
In regard to knitwear production, outerwear decreased by 4.2% to 23.23 million units, while underwear, foundation garments and nightwear slightly rose by 0.6% to 35.33 million units.
The production of woven outerwear declined by 3.7% to 32.64 million units.
As a result of growing imports, Japanese apparel production has been decreasing after reaching 1,057 million units in 1991.