Japan’s chemical exports rose by 4.8% year on year to Yen (Y) 957.3bn in September, supporting the overall rise in shipments abroad, official data showed on Thursday. Exports of organic chemicals fell by 1.7% year on year to Y170.9bn in September while shipments of plastic materials were up by 0.3% at Y251.7bn. On a volume basis, exports of plastic materials fell by 18% year on year to 412,012 tonnes in September.
The country’s total exports rose by 28.9% year on year to Y8,819bn in September, while imports were up by 45.9% at Y10,912bn.This resulted in a trade deficit of Y2,094bn in September. Overall shipments to China, Japan’s largest export destination, rose by 17.1% year on year in September. Exports to the US rose by 45.2% year on year while those to western Europe were up by 32.1%.