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The untold story of Japan’s fertilizer lifeline: Hidden risks in Japan’s food chain - 2026
It is easy to overlook fertilizers when thinking about Japan’s trade. Cars, chips, and precision machinery tend to steal the spotlight. Yet the customs category HS3102, which covers nitrogenous fertilizers such as urea and ammonium nitrate, quietly explains a great deal about how Japan feeds itself and how global shocks ripple into local markets.

Kim Pedersen
Jan 210 min read


Hybrid vs EV: What Japan’s export numbers tell us about the real global demand
Hybrid vs EV: What Japan’s export numbers tell us about the real global demand, Japan’s HS8703 export powerhouse:
Japan’s automotive exports, especially those classified under HS8703 (vehicles for transporting persons), remain one of the country's most significant contributors to international trade. But how important is HS8703 really?

Kim Pedersen
Dec 29, 20256 min read


Japan's steady surge in pharmaceutical imports: A story of demographic resilience and market stability
In a world where trade flows often swing wildly due to geopolitical tensions or environmental mandates, Japan's imports of medicaments under HS3004 stand out as a beacon of consistency.

Kim Pedersen
Dec 26, 20255 min read


The myth of Japan’s energy transition
Japan is often discussed as if it were standing at an energy crossroads. Policy papers talk about transitions. Headlines talk about disruption. Conferences talk about transformation.
But when you step away from narratives and look directly at the trade data, a very different story emerges, one of continuity, structure, and deliberate restraint.

Kim Pedersen
Dec 24, 20255 min read


Fresh fish, weak yen, stagnant and hard limits:
Japan is still widely perceived as the world’s premium seafood paradise. In reality, at the everyday level, it is one of the most price-sensitive fresh fish markets in the world.
HS0302 (fresh or chilled fish, no frozen products, no processing) makes this very clear. When trade data is read together with currency movements, wage trends, seasonality, and retail economics, a hard conclusion emerges:

Kim Pedersen
Dec 23, 20254 min read


What the import statistics reveals about energy security, prices, and geopolitics, for Japan’s LNG gas imports:
What the import statistics reveals about energy security, prices, and geopolitics, for Japan’s LNG gas imports:

Kim Pedersen
Dec 17, 20253 min read
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