Japan fixes decline in shoe imports

Japan, which is the fourth importer of shoes in the world, recorded a 2017% decline in shoe imports in the first semester of 5,1, writes worldfootwear.com.

According to statistics from the latest edition of the World Footwear Yearbook, the Japanese imports remained unchanged in 2016 at $ 5,16 billion, and Japan ranked fourth in the list of the largest importers of shoes in the world. The share of this country in the total volume of world imports of shoes is 5,1%.

Japan is one of the largest shoe markets in the world, and the largest importer of sports shoes.

In the first half of 2017, the volume of imports of shoes in Japan in value terms decreased by 5,1%, and in quantitative terms by 1,6%. About 70% of Japanese footwear imports come from two countries in China (52%) and Vietnam (18%). The main suppliers of shoes to Japan are 5 countries (they account for 89% of all imports) - China, Vietnam, as well as Indonesia (8%), Italy (6%), and Cambodia (4%).

China is still the undisputed leader, with a share in the total volume of Japanese shoe imports - 52,3%, but this share has been declining in recent years. In the first half of 2015, China's share was 53,2% ($ 137 million). Although in the first half of 2017 the number of imported goods from China increased by 1%, the cost volume decreased by 6,6%. All other countries importers of Japan, except Cambodia and Myanmar, also recorded a drop in the volume of shoe supplies to Japan in value terms.

The main category in the volume of shoe supplies to Japan is footwear made from textile materials. Its share in the first half of 2017 was 40% (37% in the first half of 2016). The import of textile shoes in the first half of 2017 increased by 4,8% in volume and by 2,8% in value terms. Supplies of rubber and plastic materials shoes (34%), leather shoes (22%) decreased quantitatively - by 1,7% and 8.6% in physical terms and by 8.9% and 11.6% in value terms. The volume of leather shoes decreased by two percentage points, its share in the total supply amounted to 24% in the first half of 2016 and 22% in the first half of 2017.

In Japan, there is a system of tariff quotas for the import of leather and leather shoes. Every year, the Japanese government sets a certain limit on the volume of imports of products, which will apply a low tariff (primary tariff). After the established volume is reached, a higher tariff (secondary tariff) is applied for the next imports. In the secondary tariff there are no restrictions on the number of imported goods. It is worth noting that the volume determined within the quota for the primary tariff has not changed since 1996, and the primary tariff itself has not changed since 2002. The existence of such a quota system explains the low share of leather shoes in the total volume of shoe imports in Japan.