Supply Chain Research

Japan’s automotive export industry remains in rude health with a 17% rise in shipments in April. That was the fastest rate of growth since December 2010 and resulted in a new record of 1.23 million vehicles. Toyota led the way with a 21% rise in exports while Suzuki was the only outlier with a 3% drop. The start of a section 232 trade investigation by the Trump administration in the U.S. may be one reason for the expansion, though duties may not be applicable for as much as a year. In the meantime U.S. imports from Japan climbed 14% in April after a 5% rise in the first quarter.