Overview of Japan Textile Industry

In 2000, Japan's textile industry consisted of 34,817 places of business (inclusive of all places of business) that employed 229, 742 workers and delivered shipments worth 3.16 trillion yen.

The total Japanese textile products market has been declining because of the very slow Japanese economy over the last few years. The Government of Japan (GOJ) has been taking various economic stimulus measures such as an expanded tax incentive program for homebuyers. These measures will help the Japanese housing market which should have a positive influence on the Japanese textile products market, although the recovery may be slow.

The Japanese textile products market has a close correlation with Japan's new housing starts, because consumers often purchase curtains, carpets and other textile products when they buy or build a new home. Annual housing starts in Japan declined 15.6% in 1997 and 14.5% in 1998. Monthly housing starts also declined continuously from January 1998 to February 1999. However, in March 1999, they increased for the first time in 27 months and continued to increase in April 1999. This indicates that the decline in Japan?s housing starts has stopped and housing starts will begin to increase again. We estimate that housing starts will increase about 4% to about 1.25 million units in 1999 from 1.20 million units in 1998. The increase in housing starts will stimulate the Japanese interior textile market and it should grow in 1999 although the growth rate may be low in terms of the Japanese yen.

Because of the current difficult market conditions in Japan, the total imports of textile products as well as the imports from the U.S. declined by 11% and 34% respectively in terms of Japanese yen. Since the total market is estimated to grow, total imports and the imports from the U.S. are also estimated to grow in 1999.

Major exporting nations competing with the United States are European countries in the high-end market and Asian countries such as China in the low-end market. There are no significant regulatory barriers which hamper U.S. exports to Japan except for the flame retardancy regulations. American manufacturers may find it necessary to modify their products for the Japanese market since U.S. textile products sometimes are of different styles and sizes.

(Source: US Commercial Service)

Statistics of Japan Textile Industry

• Chemical Fiber Manufacturers
• Value of shipment
• Producing capacity of man-made fibers
• Production of man-made fibers
• Production of textile mill products
• Foreign trade
• Domestic fiber availability
• Production & inventories of man-made fibers
• Major Apparel Product Import
• Cotton Denim Fabric Exports
• Towel Cloth Output and Inventory
• Major Textile Product Imports
• Major Apparel Product Imports
• Annual Chemical Fiber and Spun Yarn
• Cotton Yarn and Thread Imports
• Japan's Textile Trade Data