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Japan's clothing imports grow in Oct as retail demand strengthens

Imports of textile yarn and fabric grew *.* per cent to ***,*** million yen (~$***.** million), making up * per cent of total imports. On the export side, textile yarn and fabric shipments remained unchanged at **,*** million yen (~$***.** million), while textile machinery exports declined *.* per cent to **,*** million yen (~$***.** million), contributing *.* per cent to Japan’s total exports valued at *,***,*** million yen. The slight drop in textile machinery exports suggests slower overseas capital investment by manufacturers and a wider global slowdown in new capacity additions.

During the first half of fiscal ****–** (April–September), imports of clothing and accessories rose *.* per cent to *,***,*** million yen (~$**.** billion), contributing *.* per cent of total imports worth **,***,*** million yen. In contrast, imports of textile yarn and fabric fell *.* per cent to ***,*** million yen (~$*.** billion). This decline is largely due to cheaper regional sourcing options in Asia and moderation in raw material demand. Textile yarn and fabric exports dipped *.* per cent to ***,*** million yen (~$*.** billion), while textile machinery exports grew *.* per cent to ***,*** million yen (~$*** million). The rise in machinery exports reflects strong demand from emerging Asian textile hubs upgrading technology to boost productivity.