Japan’s apparel imports for August were up in value by 21.4% over the same period last year, an increase to 280,732 million yen. The Japanese yen was recently pegged at 98.87 cents to the US dollar.
Data on the increase was reported by the Japan Textile Importers Association drawn from statistics from the Japanese Ministry of Finance.
By units Japanese apparel imports increased by 2.9% over the same period last year, hitting 371.059 tons, according to government data.
Japan’s apparel imports have increased by both value and volume for five consecutive months, reflecting the country’s continually improving, but not booming, economy.
As usual in recent years, China was the biggest exporter of apparel to Japan, shipping 300.513 million units, roughly the same volume amount of the previous year.
The value of Chinese apparel imports in August rose to 211,992 million yen, a 16.5% increase.
Apparel imports from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) spiked an impressive 45.3% to 41,681 million yen. Volume rose 19.4% to 50.639 units.
ASEAN nations that increased their exports to Japan included Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand.
Cambodia enjoyed the biggest percentage boost in imports, with a robust increase by 167.7% to 3,271 million yen.
By volume Cambodian imports hit 3.827 million units, an increase of 116.1%.
Total apparel imports by Japan for 2012 were valued at $32.073 billion, representing a continually rise in imports over the past three years.
Japan’s clothing imports for 2011 were valued at $31.110 billion, and $25.262 billion in 2010.