News
Members of the Japan International Freight Forwarders Association (JIFFA) moved from Japan to other economies a total of 22.18 million revenue tons (RTs) of international multimodal cargo in the first half of fiscal 2017 (April-September). Enjoying a double-digit increase of 16% from a year earlier, the total exceeded the 20-million-RT line and reached an all-time high for the second consecutive term. Imports were also brisk, growing 4.5% to 35.58 million RTs, which was the second highest throughput. Exports and imports totaled 57.76 million RTs, which rose 8.6%.
Looking at outbound cargo movement more closely by destination, shipments to China, which had gained momentum since the beginning of the year, surged 18.3% year on year to 4.459 million RTs. The U.S. continued to be the second leading destination, to which 3.169 million RTs were transported, soaring 12.1%. Exports to Europe finished in third, ballooning 20.5% to 2.018 million RTs. Ranked fourth were those to South Korea, which also marked a double-digit improvement, swelling 12.8% to 1.859 million RTs. The fifth largest destination was Thailand, to which 1.384 million RTs were exported, hiking 8%.
Imports to Japan of international multimodal cargo had been on a recovery trend since the second half of fiscal 2015 (October 2015-March 2016). However, those from China, the most powerful market from which Japan imports international multimodal cargo, decelerated so much to turn negative, decreasing 1.8% from a year earlier to 16.902 million RTs. Coming in second place, those from Europe improved 2.4% to 2.581 million RTs. Shipments from Vietnam, which is enhancing its presence as a manufacturing base, expanded a notable 14.9% to 2.551 million RTs, helping the Southeast Asian nation ranked third place in the list. Ranking fourth, imports from Hong Kong zoomed 20% to 2.414 million RTs, sharply rebounding from a year earlier, when they suffered a double-digit contraction. Those from mainland China and Hong Kong totaled 19.316 million RTs, which climbed 0.5% and fell below the 20-million-RT mark for two terms in a row. Their combined share—which had been shrinking constantly since the first half of fiscal 2008, when they peaked at 66.6%, due to increased in imports from Southeast Asian countries, among other factors—decreased by 2.2 percentage points. Imports from the U.S. finished in fifth place, which jumped 19% to exceed the two-million-RT line at 2.354 million RTs.
