Local News

Moji Customs has released trade statistics for the Kyushu economic sphere (Kyushu with Yamaguchi and Okinawa Prefectures) for the period from January through June this year. Total exports rose 8.8% from the year-before period to 4.1851 trillion yen, while imports soared 24.7% to 4.6841 trillion yen. Exports have now risen for 13 consecutive six-month periods. Regional exports during the period accounted for 10% of the national total, rising from 9.7% for the previous six-month period. It is the first time exports have accounted for 10% of the national total since these statistics were first kept in 1979.