Imports into Japan from China in Q2 2026: data brief
Imports into Japan from China were US$41.96bn in Q2 2026, down 4.1% (US$1.77bn) on Q2 2025.
Top 3 rising headings
- Compounds, inorganic or organic, of rare-earth metals (HS 2846): US$73m, up 286.0% from US$19m
- Acyclic hydrocarbons (HS 2901): US$37m, up 243.8% from US$11m
- Cyclic hydrocarbons (HS 2902): US$42m, up 212.0% from US$13m
Top 3 falling headings
- Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, not crude (HS 2710): US$41m, down 85.8% from US$289m
- Electric generating sets and rotary converters (HS 8502): US$16m, down 71.7% from US$58m
- Stainless steel (HS 7219): US$28m, down 59.8% from US$69m
Headings (HS4) worth at least US$10m in both quarters.
Among these six headings, value per kg runs from US$1.16 for Petroleum oils and oils from bituminous minerals, not crude to US$46.03 for Compounds, inorganic or organic, of rare-earth metals. Why US$ per kg matters →
Cite as: Cambridge China Bridge, "China–Japan Trade Pulse", Q2 2026, https://camchinabridge.co.uk/china-trade-pulse/japan/briefs/2026-q2/. Source: UN Comtrade Database; quarterly totals, changes and value per kg calculated by Cambridge China Bridge. Open data:https://github.com/bonoxu/camchinabridge-open-data
The full China–Japan Trade Pulse: every chapter, the largest movers and each quarter since 2019 →
Method and sources
- Source: United Nations, UN Comtrade Database, monthly commodity trade (HS): reporter Japan, partner China, imports, through the UN Comtrade API. Totals across all customs procedures and transport modes.
- Values are UN Comtrade's primary value for imports, in US dollars as UN Comtrade publishes them (converted from the reporter's own currency by the United Nations). Quarterly totals, changes on a year earlier, rankings and value per kg are calculated by Cambridge China Bridge from the monthly figures. Chapters 98 and 99, reserved for national use, are excluded.
- Value per kg divides value by net weight, summed from the six-digit subheadings that carry a weight. It is shown only where those subheadings carry at least 90% of the line's value; some countries report few weights, so their pages show more dashes.
- Countries report to UN Comtrade some weeks or months after each month ends and may revise their figures; the page is rebuilt monthly and always shows the latest figures published.
Source: United Nations, UN Comtrade Database (cited as "UN Comtrade"). The figures on this page are quarterly totals, changes and rankings calculated from UN Comtrade's monthly data by Cambridge China Bridge; they are not endorsed by the United Nations. Journalists and researchers may quote them with a link to this page.