New promise in garment exports to Japan: share rises to 3.25 percent in first quarter

Japan is creating new trade possibilities for Bangladesh's ready-made garment exports to international markets. Japan's contribution to Bangladesh's total garment exports had been stuck at an average of around 3 percent for the past four years, but in the first quarter (July-September) of the current 2026-27 fiscal year it rose to 3.25 percent.

In those three months Bangladesh exported ready-made garments worth 343.65 million US dollars to Japan, the highest share in that market in four years.

According to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) statistics, in the first three months of the current fiscal year Bangladesh exported ready-made garments worth a total of 10.58 billion dollars to world markets. Of that, products worth 343.65 million dollars were supplied to the Japanese market.

As Japan's domestic import market has recently returned to growth, a favourable environment is being created for Bangladeshi garment entrepreneurs to expand trade there.

The export picture of recent years shows no large long-term jump in the Japanese market, but there were consistent fluctuations in trade volume. In fiscal 2022-23, garment exports to Japan were 1.15 billion dollars. The next fiscal year they fell 5.8 percent to 1.09 billion dollars. In fiscal 2024-25, however, growth of 9.1 percent took exports to 1.19 billion dollars.

In the following year, fiscal 2025-26, exports fell again by 4.3 percent to 1.13 billion dollars. In the same fiscal year, the country's overall garment exports to global markets also fell 1.6 percent to 38.70 billion dollars, as a result of which Japan's contribution to total exports shrank to 2.93 percent.

According to International Trade Centre (ITC) data, Japan's own garment import market has also gained positive momentum. From July 2022 to June 2023 the country imported garments worth 24.96 billion dollars; the next year that fell 7.3 percent to 23.14 billion dollars. But in 2024-25 Japan's garment imports rose 3.3 percent to 23.90 billion dollars, and in 2025-26 rose a further 1.2 percent to 24.19 billion dollars.

In just the first two months of the current year, July and August, Japan collected garments worth 4.05 billion dollars from world markets.

According to economic analysts, although the volume of garment exports to the Japanese market has crossed one billion dollars, it has not yet taken a stable form. One quarter's growth alone therefore does not guarantee long-term success.

Achieving a 3.25 percent share at the start of the current fiscal year is nevertheless a positive sign. If this supply can be maintained in the coming months while keeping Japanese buyers' trust, Bangladesh's trade position in this East Asian market will become stronger.