Market Updates
Japan's Indexes Hovered Near Record Highs, Imports Declined
Akira Ito
17 Sep, 2025
Tokyo
Japan's benchmark indexes turned lower and flirted near record highs after weak international trade data.
The Nikkei 225 Stock Average declined 0.01%, and the broader Topix decreased 0.6% after imports fell for the fifth month in 2025 and exports declined for the fourth consecutive month in August.
Japan's International Trade Deficit Shrank In August
Japan's imports declined 5.2% from a year ago to 8.7 trillion yen, highlighting sluggish domestic demand despite the government's efforts to support consumption and subsidize energy prices.
Japan's exports eased to 8.4 trillion yen from 9.5 trillion yen in July and were slightly below 8.43 trillion yen from a year ago, Japan's ministry of finance reported Wednesday.
The sharp escalation in U.S. tariffs continued to whiplash Japan's exports, and the U.S. lowered its tariffs to 15% on all Japanese goods from the proposed 25% and 27.5% on automobiles and auto parts.
Overall the trade deficit in August shrank sharply to 242.5 billion yen from 711.4 billion yen a year ago.
The export-driven economy of Japan is likely to face softer economic growth as businesses struggle to find new markets outside of North America.
Japan Indexes and Stocks
The Nikkei 225 Stock Average decreased 0.01% to 44,866.90, and the broader Topix fell 0.6% to 3,149.67.
Sanrio Co. Ltd. increased 0.6% to ¥6,947.0, SoftBank dropped 2% to ¥17,925.0, and Nintendo declined 1.7% to ¥13,535.0.
Tokyo Electron advanced 5% to ¥24,190.0, Advantest Corp. decreased 2.2% to ¥13,810.0, and Disco Corp. increased 1.2% to ¥45,010.0.
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