According to Japanese Ministry of Finance trade statistics, 2019 exports of disposable diapers and sanitary products decreased by 5.6% from the previous year to 256,511 tons.
Exports increased to nine countries and regions, including those to Taiwan (up 21.7%), Vietnam (up 41.6%), Malaysia (up 23.6%), Indonesia (up 38.0%) and India (up 11.3%).
Meanwhile, exports to China, which accounted for nearly 65% of the bulk, decreased by 8.9% to 171,646 tons, thus decreasing for the second consecutive year. In terms of the number of articles, exports decreased by 3.4% to 6,235.9 million units. In value, exports decreased by 8.0% to 103,384 million yen. The unit price was 16.6 yen, down 2.9 yen from the previous year.
The third largest market after China and Taiwan (24,944 tons) was Russia, to which exports fell 12.5% to 16,209 tons.
Exports to Vietnam surpassed 10,000 tons and reached 10,140 tons. Vietnam overtook Hong Kong, which dropped to fourth place with a 12.9% decline to 9,293 tons.