『経済研究』（明治学院大学）第 150号

2015年

Statistics on Japanese Automotive Trade
Toshihiro Atsumi
Faculty of Economics
Meiji Gakuin University

1．Introduction
In value terms, exports of the Japanese automotive sector constitute nearly 20% of all Japanese goods exports, and are therefore still an import part of Japanʼs manufacturing trade. In quantityterms, around 4 to 6 million cars are exported annually from Japan to the rest of the world. In thisresearch memorandum, I list and introduce the basic data sources of trade statistics of the Japanese
automotive industry for those interested in studying international trade of the Japanese automotivesector.
The data sources presented are the following three: Ministry of Finance (MOF), Japan Automobile Importers Association (JAIA), and Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA). All
three sources provide data both in Japanese and English. I recommend taking a look at the data thatthese organizations offer.

2．Trade Statistics of Japan, Ministry of Finance (MOF)
About the data source
Basic government statistics on Japanese international trade is collected by the Customs Officeand published by MOF. By accessing one of their websites (www.customs.go.jp), one can obtain electronic data of Japanʼs exports and imports from 1988. Trade data are published based on the Harmonized System (HS) codes. The HS code corresponding to the auto industry is HS 87, and passenger
cars are categorized in HS 87.03. (See Table 1.) Other types of vehicles including commercial vehicles
are in categories HS 87.04, HS 87.05, and HS 87.06. Trade statistics are released monthly, and annual61

『経済研究』（明治学院大学）第 150 号

data are included in the December issue.
Available data
Export and import data are available on a monthly basis for the cars categorized in Table 1(passenger cars). Both quantity and value of the cars in each category are available. The value of exports is the free-on-board (FOB) price and that of imports is the customs, insurance, and freight (CIF)
price. Export data are further disaggregated into “knock-down (KD)”, “used”, and “others” at the9-digit level of HS codes. Therefore, data of unfinished or disassembled exported cars to be assembled at the destination are found in the “knock-down” category, and new car exports are categorizedin “others”. It is also important from a trade policy perspective to note that no tariffs are levied oncar imports to Japan today.
Examples/findings
The main figures for the Japanese passenger car trade in 2014 are shown in Table 2. Total
passenger car exports were more than 9 trillion yen (4.8 million cars) while import was around 1 trillion yen (336 thousand cars). The major export destinations include the United States and Europeancountries. Main import sources are Germany and other European countries. The reason why Japan
does not trade finished cars as much with the rest of Asia is partly because Japanese car manufacturers now produce and sell in the local markets of China and Southeast Asia.
There are a number of characteristics of the Japanese automotive trade worth pointing out.
First, main exports are gasoline engine cars with 1.5 to 3 liter engines. Roughly half of passenger car
exports are included in this category. Therefore, it can be said that Japan today exports mainly midsized cars. Second, comparing exports and imports, exports still far outweigh imports in terms ofboth value and quantity. During the 1980s Japan experienced trade frictions with the United Statesand Europe concerning its drastic increase in exports, which led to adopting policies such as voluntary export restraints. The trade issue at the time also led Japanese car manufacturers’ to increase
overseas production. The imbalance between exports and imports, however, is still apparent.
One advantage of the MOF trade data is that unit prices can be obtained by dividing the totalvalue by the quantity, i.e., the number of cars. Inspecting the unit values, it is found that the unit
prices for all categories are higher for imported cars. (The comparison is made between exported
new cars and imported cars. Exports of KD and used cars are excluded from the calculation.) Further, as shown in Figure 1, a U-shaped relation exists between import/export unit cost differentials
and engine size.
The unit price difference can be at least partly explained by the fact that export values are
FOB prices and import values are CIF prices; that is, values of imports include transportation and in62

Statistics on Japanese Automotive Tradesurance costs. Given that main sources of Japanese car imports are European countries, it is likelythat these logistics costs are high. However, if the observed price differentials are larger than theselogistics costs, then other factors such as quality differences and difference in consumers’ brand valuation may also explain the difference.
Table 1: Categorization of cars in trade statistics (HS 87.03; passenger cars)
87.03

Motor cars and other motor vehicles principally designed for the transport of persons (otherthan those of heading 87.02), including station wagons and racing cars
8703.10 000
8703.21 000
8703.22 000
8703.23 000
8703.24 000

8703.31 000
8703.32 000
8703.33 000
8703.90 000

Vehicles specially designed for travelling on snow; golf cars and similar vehicles
Other vehicles, with spark-ignition internal combustion reciprocating piston engine
Of a cylinder capacity not exceeding 1,000 cc
Of a cylinder capacity exceeding 1,000 cc but not exceeding 1,500 cc
Of a cylinder capacity exceeding 1,500 cc but not exceeding 3,000 cc
Of a cylinder capacity exceeding 3,000 cc
Other vehicles, with compression-ignition internal combustion piston engine (diesel or semidiesel)
Of a cylinder capacity not exceeding 1,500 cc
Of a cylinder capacity exceeding 1,500 cc but not exceeding 2,500 cc
Of a cylinder capacity exceeding 2,500 cc
Other

Source: MOF trade statistics

Table 2: Basic automotive trade figures for 2014, passenger cars

gasoline engine
8703.21<=1 liter
8703.22
1 to 1.5 liter
8703.23
1.5 to 3 liter
8703.24>3 literdiesel engine
8703.31<=1.5 liter
8703.32
1.5 to 2.5 liter
8703.33>2.5 liter
8703.90
Other
total

exportunits

value (1,000Yen)

importunits

value (1,000Yen)

89,306
704,884
2,913,242
749,468

34,965,055
524,125,151
5,145,508,658
2,644,555,333

24,135
115,506
141,956
30,773

27,795,846
213,079,059
500,338,326
241,915,812

1,101
254,607
150,679
4,467

1,692,108
548,345,958
456,586,004
11,385,169

311
16,777
4,780
2,526

722,90974,011,689
31,298,794
9,590,013

4,867,754

9,367,163,436

336,764

1,098,752,448

Note: includes new, used and KD
Source: MOF trade statistics

3．JAIA, Japan Automobile Importers Association
About the data source
While the MOF data are quite detailed, with quantity and value presented for different sizesof cars, they lack brand/model information on the cars. Such information can be important for mar63

『経済研究』（明治学院大学）第 150 号
Figure 1: Import-export unit price differentials, 2014 (import/export)
2.5
2

2.17
1.76

1.70
1.40

1.5
10.50

＜ 1 liter

1 to 1.5 liter

1.5 to 3 liter＞ 3 liter

Note: export unit prices are those of new car exports
Source: calculated by author using MOF trade data

keting research purposes and firm-level analyses of international trade. The data issued by the Japan
Automobile Importers Association (JAIA) fills this gap.
JAIA publishes new registration data of imported vehicles in Japan on a monthly basis. Basedon their monthly figures, JAIA also publishes a number of historical data sets, shown in Table 3.
Note that the JAIA data do not exactly match the MOF trade data since the former are based onregistration; that is, they are recorded when imported cars are sold and registered for the buyers.
Available data
Data available from JAIA is listed in Table 3. All data are downloadable in both PDF and EXCEL formats from the JAIA website (www.jaia.or.jp). JAIA’s general analysis of the imported carmarket of Japan is released annually as the document titled “Imported Car Market of Japan”. It isalso available from their website in PDF format starting with the 2001 report. This document is anannual summary of the overall situation of the Japanese imported car market. It also contains information on the system and procedures of car imports in Japan.
Neither the MOF nor the JAIA data include stock data, that is, data of cars in operation.
Those in need of stock data of imported cars should contact the Automobile Inspection & Registration Information Association (AIRIA), which is the government body in charge of motor vehicle registration in Japan (www.airia.or.jp). Stock data can be purchased from AIRIA.
Examples/findings
According to the historical data set of JAIA, only 15 thousand cars were imported to Japan in1967 and this amount reached a peak in 1996 when 393 thousand cars were imported. The latest figure is 319 thousand for 2014. The volume of car imports fluctuates in response to the overall situation or the fundamentals of the Japanese economy, but their market share is somewhat stable: im64

Statistics on Japanese Automotive Tradeported cars have occupied roughly 10% of the new car market since 1998. In terms of prices, pricerange data from 2003 indicate that the largest volume imported are the cars in the 2 to 3 million yen
price range.
Taking advantage of the brand/model information of the JAIA data, it can be seen that thetop 20 imported models are mostly German brands. Specifically, the Volkswagen Golf has been thenumber one imported model since at least 2003. (See Table 4 for the 2014 results.) The share of theGerman brands over time is shown in Figure 3. This share has been between 30% and 80% for several decades. In recent years the German brands seem to have gained popularity in Japan, but thehighest share to date was recorded in the mid-1980s, when it reached around 80%. The drop in theTable 3: Imported car data available from JAIA
By Calendar Year (CL) (Passenger Car/Total) since 1966
By Price Range (Non-Japanese Brand Passenger Car Only) since 2003
By Vehicle Type (Passenger Car/Truck/Bus & non-Japanese/Japanese Brand) since Jan 1988
By Brand since Jan 1988 for monthly data and since 1966 for CY data
By Prefecture since Jan 1988
By Non-Japanese/Japanese Brand since Jan 1998
By Non-Japanese Brands
Change in 20 Top-selling Models：Calendar Year
By Quarter, Half Year and CY
By Non-Japanese Brands
Change in 20 Top-selling Models：Fiscal Year
Source: JAIA

Table 4: Top 20 imported cars in Japan, 2014
BrandModel
1st2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
16th
17th
18th
19th
20th

Volkswagen
BMW MINI
Mercedes-Benz
BMW
Volkswagen
Audi
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Volkswagen
BMW
Volvo
Volkswagen
Mercedes-Benz
Audi
Volvo
FiatBMW
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz

Golf
MINI
C-Class
3 Series
Polo
A3 Series
A-Class
E-Classup!
1 Series
40 Series
The Beetle
S-Class
A4 Series
60 Series
500/500C
5 Series
B-Class
CLA-Class
GLA-Class

Source: JAIA

65

CY (Jan-Dec)
CY (Jan-Dec)
Month, CY (Jan-Dec)
Month, CY (Jan-Dec)
Month, CY (Jan-Dec)
Month
Quarterly
Half-year
CY (Jan-Dec)
Half-year
FY (Apr-Mar), half year

『経済研究』（明治学院大学）第 150 号
Figure 2: Share of German brands in the Japanese imported car market
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
2014

2011

2008

2005

2002

1999

1996

1993

1990

1987

1984

1981

1978

1975

1972

1969

1966

0Source: calculated by author using JAIA data.

mid- 1990 s was due to increases by American brands, but the data show that the momentum ofAmerican brands did not last.

4．JAMA, Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association
About the data source
All Japanese car manufacturers are members of JAMA. Data from the car manufacturers arecollected and published by JAMA, the main data being those of production and exports. On theirwebsite (www.jama.or.jp), an on-demand type database called the “Active Matrix Database System”
is open to the public. JAMA also runs a unique library specializing in books and various historical
documents on the automotive industry.
Available dataThe JAMA database allows us to extract data following the format indicated in Table 5. Users
choose the types of data (production, exports, or new registrations), vehicle (passenger car, truck, orbus), and manufacturer. The system will then instantly create the table as requested. Most electronic
data are available from 1993.
Examples/findings
Figure 3 is created using basic data from the JAMA database. Apart from the steep “cliff” in2009 reflecting the worldwide demand fall following the Lehman shock, Japanese car manufacturers
have managed to maintain domestic production of around 10 million cars per year. Annual exports
66

Statistics on Japanese Automotive Trade
Table 5: Format of data available from JAMAVehicle
Manufacturer

Dataproduction
exports
new registrations (sales)

passenger cars
standardsmall
minitrucksstandard
small
mini
buses
large
small

TOYOTANISSANMAZDA
MITSUBISHIISUZUDAIHATSU
HONDA
SUBARU
UD TRUCKSHINOSUZUKI
GM JAPAN
MITSUBISHI FUSO

Note: standard, small, and mini is the Japanese classification of passenger cars based on body/engine size
Source: JAMA

since the 1990s have been around 4 to 6 million cars, and a similar volume of cars is sold domestically.
The database also enables us to obtain firm-level export data such as in Table 6, which reveals
a stark contrast between the two leading global firms, Toyota and Honda: Toyota exported nearly 1.6
million passenger cars in 2014, which far exceeds exports of other Japanese manufacturers. Its shareFigure 3: Volumes of production, exports, and sales of the Japanese auto industry
12,000,000
production

10,000,000
8,000,000

domestic sales

6,000,000
4,000,000

export2,000,000

Source: JAMA database

672014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

20062005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

0

『経済研究』（明治学院大学）第 150 号of Japanese passenger car exports was 41%. Honda, on the other hand, exported only 31 thousandcars in 2014, which is less than 1% of the total. It probably reflects the difference in their global production strategies.

Table 6: Japanese (new) passenger car exports by manufacturer, 2014
Passenger cars
Standard
Small
Mini
Total

Share

TOYOTA
MAZDASUBARUNISSANMITSUBISHISUZUKIHONDADAIHATSU

1,491,514
708,183
541,385
412,892
365,978
55,92318,066―90,143
53,002
201
11,97088761,955
13,185
7,855

―
―――
2,257
199
―
―

1,581,657
761,185
541,586
424,862
369,122118,077
31,251
7,855

41.2％
19.8％
14.1％
11.1％
9.6％
3.1％
0.8％
0.2％

Total

3,593,941

239,198

2,456

3,835,595

100.0％

Source: JAMA database68