Pharmaceutical Trade Trends
Japan's pharmaceutical (HS Chapter 30) import/export data, top trading partners, and monthly trends from real-time trade statistics.
Last updated: 2026-05-25
Pharmaceuticals are a chronically trade-deficit category for Japan. HS codes 3004 (medicinal preparations) and 3002 (vaccines, immunological products, monoclonal antibodies, and other biological preparations) form the core of Chapter 30. Innovative drugs developed by global pharmaceutical companies — particularly biopharmaceuticals, antibody drugs, and oncology treatments — are difficult to manufacture domestically, resulting in large-scale imports from Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, and the United States.
Ireland serves as a major European pharmaceutical hub, hosting production facilities for many global drugmakers, and has consistently ranked as Japan's top pharmaceutical import source for many years. The COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022) caused a sharp spike in 3002 imports due to emergency procurement of mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna), dramatically boosting overall pharmaceutical import values. On the export side, the global expansion of Japanese pharma companies such as Takeda Pharmaceutical and Astellas has driven growth in certain product categories.
Export/Import Value — Past 24 Months
The monthly chart below shows Japan's pharmaceutical trade values (JPY basis). This category tends to show event-driven spikes tied to new product launches and pandemic-related procurement.
Export/Import Volume Trend
Pharmaceuticals carry an extremely high value per kilogram, so volume figures in kg can feel disconnected from the monetary scale. Volume trends are most useful for identifying periods when large-scale imports of specific products (such as vaccines) occurred.
Unit Price (JPY/kg) Trend
Unit prices vary enormously across pharmaceutical products, but the rising share of biopharmaceuticals and antibody drugs is driving a long-term upward trend in average unit prices.
Country Share of Exports/Imports (Past 12 Months)
Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, the United States, and Belgium consistently rank as the top import sources. Export destinations are led by the United States, China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for a large portion.
- 1.United States of America24.1%
- 2.Germany10.5%
- 3.Ireland7.0%
- 4.People's Republic of China6.7%
- 5.Switzerland6.6%
- 6.United Kingdom5.8%
- 7.Canada4.2%
- 8.France4.0%
- 9.Puerto Rico (USA)3.9%
- 10.Slovenia3.4%
Latest Month Key Metrics
- 2026年5月の輸入額
- 713億円
- 前年同月比
- -64.4%
- 輸入数量
- 2,688,635 kg
Related HS Codes
3002— Blood products, vaccines, toxins, microbial cultures, immunological products, monoclonal antibodies3004— Medicinal preparations for therapeutic or prophylactic use, classified by dosage form
Chapter 30 also includes wound care products such as bandages and gauze (3005) and in-vitro diagnostics (3006).
- 3004Medicaments (excluding goods of heading 30.02, 30.05 or 30.06) consisting of mixed or unmixed products for therapeutic or prophylactic uses, put up in measured doses (including those in the form of transdermal administration systems) or in forms or packings for retail sale:
- 3002Human blood; animal blood prepared for therapeutic, prophylactic or diagnostic uses; antisera, other blood fractions and immunological products, whether or not modified or obtained by means of biotechnological processes; vaccines, toxins, cultures of micro-organisms (excluding yeasts) and similar products; cell cultures, whether or not modified:
Data Source
- Japan Customs Trade Statistics (customs.go.jp)
- Kouro syncs daily at 10:00 JST following the Ministry of Finance's preliminary, revised, and 9-digit preliminary release schedule
Data shown on this page reflects the latest values retrieved daily by Kouro from Japan Customs Trade Statistics. Last updated: 2026-05-25