That dollar amount results from a -2.4% decrease from $773.7 billion five years earlier for 2021.
Year over year, the overall value of goods imported into Japan grew by 1.6% compared to $743.3 billion during 2024.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2025, the Japanese yen reduced by -27.1% against the US dollar since 2021 and slipped by -1.4% from 2024 to 2025. Japan’s weaker local currency made Japanese imports paid for in stronger US dollars relatively more expensive when converted for buyers starting from the weaker Japanese yen.
Japan’s Best International Product Suppliers
The latest available country-specific data shows that 73.1% of products imported into Japan was furnished by exporters in: mainland China (23.6% of the Japanese total), United States of America (11.6%), Australia (6.0%), Taiwan (4.4%), United Arab Emirates (4.3%), Vietnam (4.02%), South Korea (3.98%), Saudi Arabia (3.5%), Thailand (3.4%), Germany (3.1%), Indonesia (2.7%) and Malaysia (2.6%).
From a continental perspective, 59.7% of Japan’s total imports by value in 2025 was purchased from fellow Asian countries. Trade partners in North America supplied 14.6% of imported product purchases by Japan while another 14.2% worth originated from providers in Europe.
Smaller percentages arrived from suppliers in Oceania (6.8%) led by Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, Latin America (3.4%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and Africa (1.3%).
Given Japan’s population of 123.9 million people, its total US$755.5 billion worth of 2025 imports translates to about $6,100 in yearly product demand from every person in the densely populated Asian island country. That per-capita dollar amount exceeds the average $6,000 one year earlier in 2024.
Japan’s Top 10 Imports
The following product groups represent the highest dollar value in Japan’s import purchases during 2025. Also shown is the percentage share each product category represents in terms of overall imports into Japan.7
- Mineral fuels including oil: US$147.9 billion (19.6% of total imports)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $114 billion (15.1%)
- Machinery including computers: $82.9 billion (11%)
- Pharmaceuticals: $32.5 billion (4.3%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $29.1 billion (3.8%)
- Ores, slag, ash: $25.7 billion (3.4%)
- Vehicles: $24.8 billion (3.3%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $16.4 billion (2.2%)
- Gems, precious metals: $16.1 billion (2.1%)
- Organic chemicals: $14.5 billion (1.9%)
Japan’s top 10 import product categories generated two-thirds (66.7%) of overall value of Japanese product purchases from other countries.
Machinery including computers posted the fastest-growing increase in value among Japan’s top 10 import categories, up 13.8% from 2024 to 2025.
In second place for growth were Japanese imports of vehicles (up 7.8%) ahead of electrical machinery and equipment (up 7.4%).
The severest drop among the top product categories was under the mineral fuels including oil group via a -12.4% decline from 2024. Historically, Japanese imports of energy-related goods are weighed down by Japan’s lower spending on coal, crude oil and petroleum gases.
Note that the results listed above are at the categorized two-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level. For a more detailed view of imported goods at the four-digit HTS code level, peruse the sections below.
Japan’s Major Fossil Fuel Imports
In 2025, Japanese importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of mineral fuels including oil.
- Crude oil: US$64.2 billion (down -10.6% from 2024)
- Petroleum gases: $43.7 billion (down -7.5%)
- Coal, solid fuels made from coal: $22.3 billion (down -25.6%)
- Processed petroleum oils: $16.3 billion (down -10.7%)
- Petroleum oil residues: $695.7 million (down -6.5%)
- Coke, semi-coke: $257.2 million (down -4.5%)
- Coal tar oils (high temperature distillation): $113.7 million (down -14.6%)
- Petroleum jelly, mineral waxes: $59.5 million (down -11.4%)
- Peat: $30.8 million (up 11.6%)
- Tar pitch, coke: $9.7 million (down -0.01%)
Among these import subcategories, Japan’s purchases of peat (up 11.6%) was the lone gainer from 2024 to 2025.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported mineral fuels-related goods among Japanese businesses and consumers.
Japan’s Major Electronics Imports
In 2025, Japanese importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of electronics products.
- Phone devices including smartphones: US$29.4 billion (up 12.8% from 2024)
- Integrated circuits/microassemblies: $24.3 billion (up 4.7%)
- Insulated wire/cable: $9 billion (up 6%)
- Electrical converters/power units: $4.1 billion (up 6%)
- Electric storage batteries: $3.7 billion (up 3.3%)
- TV receivers/monitors/projectors: $3.5 billion (up 0.6%)
- Solar power diodes/semi-conductors: $3.4 billion (down -5.4%)
- TV receiver/transmit/digital cameras: $3 billion (up 6%)
- Lower-voltage switches, fuses: $2.9 billion (up 9.1%)
- Electrical machinery: $2.5 billion (up 21.8%)
Among these import subcategories, Japan’s purchases of electrical machinery (up 21.8%), phone devices including smartphones (up 12.8%) then lower-voltage switches and fuses (up 9.1%) grew at the fastest pace from 2024 to 2025.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported electronics among Japanese businesses and consumers.
Japan’s Major Machinery Imports
In 2025, Japanese importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of machinery including computers.
- Computers, optical readers: US$23.2 billion (up 21.6% from 2024)
- Turbo-jets: $10.8 billion (up 20.3%)
- Machinery for making semi-conductors: $7.1 billion (up 34.7%)
- Printing machinery: $3.4 billion (up 1.5%)
- Air or vacuum pumps: $3 billion (up 5.7%)
- Air conditioners: $2.7 billion (up 7.3%)
- Taps, valves, similar appliances: $2.6 billion (up 4.9%)
- Computer parts, accessories: $2.5 billion (up 1.2%)
- Piston engine parts: $2.4 billion (up 10.3%)
- Machinery parts: $2.3 billion (up 0.9%)
Among these import subcategories, Japan’s purchases of machinery for making semi-conductors (up 34.7%), computers including optical readers (up 21.6%) then turbo-jets (up 20.3%) grew at the fastest pace from 2024 to 2025.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported machinery among Japanese businesses and consumers.
Japan’s Major Pharmaceuticals Imports
In 2025, Japanese importers spent the most on the following subcategories of pharmaceuticals.
- Blood fractions (including antisera): US$15.8 billion (up 15.4% from 2024)
- Medication mixes in dosage: $15.3 billion (up 0.1%)
- Sutures, special pharmaceutical goods: $688.7 million (up 5.4%)
- Medication mixes not in dosage: $459.3 million (up 28.0%)
- Packaged dressings: $199.9 million (down -9.3%)
- Dried organs, heparin: $85.3 million (down -12.4%)
Among these import subcategories, Japan’s purchases of medication mixes not in dosage (up 28%), blood fractions including antisera (up 15.4%) then sutures or other special pharmaceutical goods (up 5.4%) grew at the fastest pace from 2024 to 2025.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported technical equipment among Japanese businesses and consumers.
See also Japan’s Top 10 Exports, Japan’s Top Trading Partners, Top Japanese Trade Balances and Japan’s Top 10 Major Export Companies
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook: Country Profiles. Accessed on February 16, 2026
Imported Consumer Products, Japan’s Top 100 Imported Consumer Products. Accessed on February 16, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on February 16, 2026
X-rates.com, Exchange Rates: Japanese Yen to US Dollar (monthly average 2025). Accessed on February 16, 2026