AsemconnectVietnam - According to the preliminary statistics from the Customs Department, the total value of goods exported from Vietnam to the Japanese market in the first six months of 2026 reached approximately US$14.78 billion, an increase of 15.36% compared to the same period last year.

This was a positive growth rate, demonstrating the recovery and maintenance of stability in bilateral trade amidst the volatile global economy.
The breakthrough growth in export turnover to Japan in the first half of 2026 was mainly attributed to the contributions of technology, electronics, and supporting industries. Leading in growth rate were the group of computers, electronic products and components, reaching US$1.22 billion (up by 63.72%); telephones of all types and components, reaching US$1.31 billion, up by 53.26%; machinery, equipment, tools, and other spare parts reached US$1.53 billion, an increase of 17.8%. Notably, the country’s exports of chemical products to Japan recorded a sharp increase of 133.05%, reaching US$388.77 million, and the exports of the group of toys and sporting goods increased by as much as 91.81%, reaching US$491.29 million.
The main reason stems from the wave of global supply chain shifts, making Vietnam an important production and assembly center for Japanese businesses. At the same time, Japan's demand for imported industrial raw materials and supporting products has increased to serve domestic production activities.
Conversely, some traditional export groups that previously accounted for a large proportion recorded a downward trend or slow growth. The textile and garment group, while still maintaining the highest export value at US$1.98 billion, decreased by 6.25% compared to the same period last year; while the footwear exports decreased by 5.99%, reaching US$561.21 million; coffee exports decreased by 8.95%, reaching US$345.45 million.
The main reasons were from prolonged inflationary pressure in Japan and the depreciation of the Yen, causing Japanese consumers to tighten spending on non-essential consumer goods. In addition, the fluctuations in agricultural commodity prices and increased logistics costs also reduced orders from this market.
However, items such as transportation vehicles and parts, reaching US$1.67 billion, up by 5.17%; wood and wood products, reaching US$1.07 billion, up by 5.56%; and seafood, reaching US$800.76 million, up by 2.38%; maintained stable growth thanks to meeting stringent quality and origin standards.
For the second half of 2026, the country’s exports to Japan are expected to continue their positive growth momentum and could reach approximately US$30-31 billion for the whole year. The main drivers will come from the continued increase in production in the technology product supply chain, combined with the demand for consumer goods, agricultural and aquatic products for the year-end holiday season in Japan.
Effectively utilizing tariff preferences from bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (VJEPA, CPTPP, RCEP) along with the recovery of the Yen exchange rate will be important springboards helping Vietnamese businesses maintain their competitive advantage in this market.
CK
Source: VITIC