The Finance Ministry revealed that imports into Japan increased by nearly 17% from the previous year to 10.2 trillion yen ($70.6billion), while exports rose by 10% to 9.6 trillion yen ($66billion).
The growth in imports was in meat and other food items, as well as iron, highlighting a relatively robust domestic economy where consumer spending has improved due to rising wages.
Exports to the US, China, and Brazil saw an increase, however, car exports continued to struggle amidst a scandal involving falsified testing.