AI Data Insight
Japan's total export value in Q3 2026 surged by 23.2% year-on-year, a significant jump from the previous 19.3% in Q2, and strongly beating the market expectation of 19.9%. This wave of growth mainly benefited from the surging shipments of AI semiconductor equipment and the continued weakness of the yen, driving double-digit growth in shipments to both China and the US. However, a sharp increase in import costs caused by geopolitics continued to widen the trade deficit, and attention should be paid to the risk of a policy shift by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) in the future.